The Inaugural Workplace Safety Awareness Walk this Sunday will pay respects to the crane driver killed earlier this month on the University of Canberra Hospital building site.
Despite improvements in construction safety over the past three years, the Canberra construction sector remains the least safe jurisdiction in Australia.
The tragic death of a 62-year-old crane driver and union member, on 4 August this year highlights the central importance of workplace safety.
The Inaugural Workplace Safety Walk will take place on Sunday 28 August at 10am at the National Workers Memorial on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. The walk will include a respectful reflection and minute silence for the killed worker.
The following quotes are attributable to Alex White, secretary of UnionsACT:
“Every worker must be able to go to work and get home safely. Tragically for too many workers in Canberra, there is still the unacceptable risk of suffering a serious injury or death.
“The terrible tragedy at the University of Canberra Hospital building site shows that unsafe workplaces can have catastrophic impacts, for workers, their families and the community as a whole.
“Workplace safety is core union business, and Canberra’s unions will never, ever back down when it comes to workers’ safety.
“The Workplace Safety Awareness Walk this Sunday is a demonstration that safety needs unions, employers and the government to work together.”
