New RAH site death inquest: Jorge Castillo-Riffo working in confined space when fatally crushed, court told

CONSTRUCTION workers at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital dealt with safety issues including working in confined spaces “on a daily basis”, an inquest has been told.

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CONSTRUCTION workers at the new $2.3 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital were forced to deal with safety problems including working in confined spaces “on a daily basis”, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

A co-worker of Jorge Castillo-Riffo, who was fatally crushed when he was trapped while using a scissor lift at the site in November 2014, told of “difficult” working conditions.

The Coroners Court heard Mr Castillo-Riffo, 54, was working in a space measuring just 63cm by 36cm on the scissor lift to colour-match and patch concrete holes, on beams where tension cables had been tightened.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, Andrew King was asked how he and other employees worked in such confined spaces with their tools. He replied: “It was difficult”.

He continued: “We are not petite people. Is that space a small area to work in? You’re dead right it was. That’s one of the things we had to deal with on a daily basis.”

Jorge Castillo-Riffo was killed on the RAH site in 2014.

The inquest has heard how Mr Castillo-Riffo, a father of three of Aldinga Beach, repeatedly warned of safety concerns before he died amid fears pressures caused “corners to be cut”.

Mr King said workers were not allowed to use a different kind of machinery, known as a boom lift, for the patching work they were completing.

He said the boom lift was safer, but it would not fit without the removal of wall studs.

“If I had that in this area I would have had more room for standing and stuff,” he said.

The court on Monday heard budget and time pressures meant proper equipment and workplace safety rules on the RAH building site were “not considered”.

Mr King told the court some of the patching work was done while scaffolding was still in place.

He said despite experiencing safety issues on the site, workers rarely spoke up.

The RAH under construction in 2014. Picture: Stephen Laffer

“If you speak up, you are worried you are going to lose your job,” he said.

Mr King wept and held his head in his hands when he was asked how he learnt of his colleague’s death.

Through tears, he said he “saw him after” the incident.

“When I walked past there was someone giving him CPR compressions,” he said.

He described his subcontracting employer, SRG Building (Southern) and colleagues as “top quality”.

Asked why, Mr King said it was because “they cared”.

Outside court, Mr Castillo-Riffo’s widow Pam Gurner-Hall, 61, said her partner of nearly 14 years would still be alive if scaffolding was still in place.

But it had been removed to make room for a crane.

She said: “I think it’s a great pity that he wasn’t doing it on a scaffolding because they would have done it a lot quicker.

“It would have been done a lot safer.”

The inquest, before State Coroner Mark Johns, continues.