Share Coverage
Send to KindleCategory: Courts and Trials / Workplace / Accidents / Laws / Regulation / Building and Construction / Disasters and Accidents / Local Government / Activism and Lobbying / Law, Crime and Justice
Queensland awnings 'should be inspected' after man crushed to death
Thursday, 27 Oct 2016 12:15:08 | Elise Kinsella
The awning on James Street at Burleigh Heads collapsed in 2012. (ABC News)
All awnings over public land in Queensland should be urgently inspected following the death of a man on the Gold Coast who was crushed under one, a Queensland coroner has recommended.
Christopher Walton, 54, from Currumbin, was talking to friends outside a shop on James Street in Burleigh in December 2012 when a metal and wood awning suddenly came crashing down.
Coroner James McDougall said Mr Walton was "trapped against the building pillar, his chest took the full force".
An autopsy later revealed Mr Walton had pelvic fractures and a lacerated spleen.
The coronial inquest examined why the awning fell and what could be done be done to avoid a similar event from occurring again.
Mr McDougall found a range of factors contributed to the Burleigh awning falling.
He said a leaking roof and the coastal location played a part, as well as the awning's age.
"It was 34 years old, probably well beyond the design life," he said.
Another factor was corrosion where the awning attached to the shop building.
But Mr McDougall said the design of the awning made it hard to pick up this fault.
"The attachment to the building was difficult to view," he said.
Gold Coast City Council chief executive officer Dale Dickson said the council was currently reviewing the coroner's findings and recommendations.
"As noted by the coroner in his findings, the city has undertaken ongoing inspections and monitoring of awnings since the incident in 2012, and will continue with this program of work," he said.
Findings do not go far enough, widow says
Mr Walton's widow Kerry Shepherd said that problem would not have been identified by a safety inspection.
"The failing of the awning was due to an invisible fault," she said.
She said she wanted time to absorb the coroner's findings, but thought they had not gone far enough.
Ms Shepherd wants to see metal hooks or poles used to support awnings from catastrophic failings.
"The definition of catastrophic failing is with no warning and no ability to escape if you're caught," she said.
"You may not ever be able to stop buildings from failing, or awnings from failing, but if we can stop them from catastrophically failing it gives people 20 seconds, 30 seconds, to get out from under them."
Ms Shepherd said awnings with a cantilever design were more difficult to stop catastrophic failings.
Mr McDougall recommended safety standards for awning construction be reviewed as part of a taskforce he wants set up across the state to examine awning safety.
He said councils and the Department of Infrastructure should create a program to inspect ageing awnings over public land across the state.
He wants inspectors to have the power to access the awnings and to ensure compliance from building owners.
Master Builders back coroner's recommendations
The Gold Coast regional manager for Masters Builders, John Duncalfe, said his organisation, which represents builders, supported the recommendations for state-wide inspections.
"With our lifestyle now changing to outdoor dining more so than it has in the past, we feel that it's probably more important for this to happen," he said.
Mr Duncalfe said some building owners had already organised for their awnings to be checked after Mr Walton's death.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
