North Coogee: Stop work called after construction site worker died in Perth’s south – The West Australian

WA Police and Worksafe are investigating a workplace death at a construction site in Perth’s southern suburbs.

It’s understood a young man at a residential development in North Coogee – near the Reinforcement Parade and Gage Road intersection – was struck in the head, sustaining serious injuries, in an incident about 9am Monday.

St John Ambulance were called to the scene but the man couldn’t be saved. It’s understood he was struck by a door to a pop-up display container, made out of metal and timber.

WA Police have established a cordon around the site so investigators can piece together the circumstances of the incident.

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s director of investigation Joseph Lee said it was an incident that would change colleagues’ lives forever.

“A young worker received a serious head injury and has sadly since passed away. I think there’s a number of people whose lives have changed forever today,” he said.

“The construction industry is in the top three for recording fatalities in Western Australia.

“It’s an industry which contains lots of hazards. It has some inherent dangers in it and this is a strong reminder to the industry to make sure that it identifies all of the hazards and has appropriate controls in place to ensure this doesn’t happen to another family.”

The construction firm overseeing the site on Tuesday issued their condolences to the man’s family, friends and colleagues.

“We are devastated by the events that took place today on a site adjoining one of our development projects in North Coogee,” M/Construction director Michael Read said.

“Our thoughts go to the family of the deceased.”

Mr Read said the young man was the employee of a subcontracted business that had been engaged to perform a “small job” on site.

“M/Construction maintains the highest standards of onsite safety and we are doing everything possible to support WorkSafe and relevant authorities as they investigate the incident,” he said.

The surrounding coastal suburb is subject to a series of building projects with a residential boom in the area.

It’s understood a stop work has been held by colleagues of the injured.

Last year, tighter regulations were placed on WA worksites, including the introduction of industrial manslaughter laws.

The laws carry a maximum penalty of between five and 20 years imprisonment for individuals, along with fines of up to $10 million for companies.

Under the current laws, the penalty could have been as high as $2 million.