A worker died on a job site after being struck by a concrete grate being lifted by an excavator.
Emergency services were called to the Warwick Road off-ramp of the Mitchell Freeway at Greenwood, in Perth’s north, about 11.50am on Thursday.
The man, 35, was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital by St John WA paramedics with serious head injuries and died a short time later.
The southbound exit ramp was closed until late in the afternoon as police began an investigation to prepare a report for the coroner.
Footage from the scene shows police cutting off the road and forensic investigators examining an excavator as the man’s devastated companions stood nearby.
WorkSafe confirmed it is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the death “with a view to ensuring compliance and preventing future incidents”.
A 35-year-old man died on Perth’s Mitchell Highway after being struck by a concrete grate lifted by excavation. In the photo, workers on site)
“The man was reported to have been struck by a falling piece of equipment,” a WorkSafe spokesperson said.
Commissioner Sally North described the incident as a “tragedy” and expressed her deepest condolences to the man’s family and friends.
The tragedy brought the number of fatalities on construction sites in WA this year to 10, according to CFMEU state secretary Mick Buchan.
He also expressed the union’s condolences to the worker’s family and announced an investigation into the matter.
The man suffered serious head injuries and was rushed to hospital, where he later died, prompting separate investigations by WA Police, WorkSafe and the CFMEU.
Buchan said the incident “involved an excavator and lifting equipment” but declined to speculate on the details, noting that “one worker tragically did not return home today.”
“Once again we are faced with another death that was totally avoidable and should never have happened,” he said, according to the West Australian newspaper.