Dreamworld inquest: Supervisors, management to give evidence
A DREAMWORLD maintenance supervisor has told an inquest it was a total failure by ‘everybody’ to ensure the safety of the Thunder River Rapids ride before the tragedy that claimed four lives. ROLLING UPDATES
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A DREAMWORLD maintenance supervisor has told an inquest it was a total failure by ‘everybody’ to ensure the safety of the Thunder River Rapids ride before the tragedy that claimed four lives.
Maintenance supervisor Grant Naumann was asked by counsel assisting the coroner Ken Fleming exactly whose job it was to ensure the ride was safe.
“Everybody’s,” he said.
Mr Fleming then replied: “Are you then saying there has been a total failure by everybody to determine the safety of this ride?”
Mr Naumann: “In hindsight, yes.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
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Senior supervisors and park managers are among those expected to give evidence when an inquest into the Dreamworld tragedy resumes today.
The inquest into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi will resume for two weeks at the Southport Coroners Court.
The four tourists died when the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned at the Gold Coast theme park in October 2016.
The first two weeks of the inquest in June heard from ride supervisors and engineers who either worked at the park on the day of the tragedy or in the days preceding the event.
PREMIER SAYS ‘SHOCKING’ DETAILS LIKELY TO EMERGE
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today said she expected some “shocking” details would come out during the second part of the inquest.
“I know the worst phone call I have ever received as Premier was when the police commissioner rang to tell me about this tragedy,” she told Today this morning.
She acknowledged the tragedy had a negative effect on theme park visitor numbers, but said she was confident the industry would recover.
“It is up to all of the theme parks to assure the public that their safety is up to standard,” she said.
“So will they recover? Absolutely.
“I mean it is part of the life and blood of the Gold Coast, but it is going to take some time.”
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3.13pm: A Dreamworld maintenance supervisor has told an inquest it was a total failure by ‘everybody’ to ensure the safety of the Thunder River Rapids ride before the tragedy that claimed four lives.
Maintenance supervisor Grant Naumann was asked by counsel assisting the coroner Ken Fleming exactly whose job it was to ensure the ride was safe.
“Everybody’s,” he said.
Mr Fleming then replied: “Are you then saying there has been a total failure by everybody to determine the safety of this ride?”
Mr Naumann: “In hindsight, yes.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
2.50pm: A Dreamworld maintenance supervisor has told an inquest it was ‘everybody’s’ job to ensure the safety of the Thunder River Rapids ride before the tragedy that claimed four lives.
Maintenance supervisor Grant Naumann was asked by counsel assisting the coroner Ken Fleming exactly whose job it was to ensure the ride was safe.
“Everybody’s,” he said.
Mr Fleming then replied: “Are you then saying there has been a total failure by everybody to determine the safety of this ride?”
Mr Naumann: “In hindsight, yes.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
12.45pm: Inquest adjourned until 2pm.
12.13pm: A Dreamworld maintenance staffer told Workplace Health and Safety investigators that repairs at Dreamworld would be conducted when they ‘could afford to be done’, an inquest has been told.
Giving evidence at the inquest, Dreamworld maintenance planner Grant Naumann was shown a copy of his statement to WHSQ officers where he said ‘corrective action’ would take place ‘when it could be done or when it could afford to be done’.
Asked if that meant budget constraints dictated whether repairs were carried out on rides and attractions, Mr Naumann said his statement contained ‘a poor choice of words’.
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However, under cross examination from Matthew Hickey, a barrister acting for the family of victim Cindy Low, he conceded there were discussions about the cost of repairs or replacements and whether they should be deferred until it ‘would fit the budget better’.
“Yes that would happen,” he said.
11.05am: A Dreamworld maintenance supervisor has told an inquest in to the Thunder River Rapids disaster he would have alerted authorities to any risk on the ride if he knew there was one.
Stephen Murphy told Coroner James McDougall the benefit of hindsight had changed his perspective, but he never thought rafts could flip and cause the tragedy which unfolded in October 2016.
Under cross examination from barrister Craig Eberhardt, Mr Murphy was asked if he knew the potential for tragedy at the unloading area of the conveyor belt.
“You did not see a risk that that could happen at that location and you no doubt would have reported it at once if you did?” he asked.
“Of course,” Mr Murphy replied.
10.50am: A maintenance supervisor has told an inquest in to Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids tragedy it was a competition amongst staff to try and find problems with park rides.
Stephen Murphy told Coroner James McDougall ‘it’s a bit of a competition to try and find problems’.
Asked by Ardent Leisure lawyer Bruce Hodgkinson whether it was considered a badge of honour to find issues on rides, Mr Murphy replied: “Most definitely.”
10.40am: A Dreamworld maintenance supervisor has told an inquest he never tested the emergency stop button on the control panel of the Thunder River Rapids ride.
Stephen Murphy, a maintenance team leader at the time of the tragedy, would perform morning checks of the ride and often pressed the emergency stop button at the unload station of the conveyor belt to make sure there was no damage or obstructions on the conveyor system.
However, he said he never tested the emergency stop button on the central control panel.
Earlier in the inquest, a ride operator stationed at the control panel at the time of the tragedy told Coronor James McDougall he pressed the button repeatedly before it finally worked and stopped the ride.
THUNDER RIVER RAPIDS RIDE LOW ON MAINTENANCE PRIORITY LIST
AN ENGINEER employed to conduct a maintenance audit on all rides at Dreamworld had not reached the Thunder River Rapids Ride, the inquest has heard.
Dreamworld junior engineer Gen Cruz told the inquest he was employed in 2014 to conduct a maintenance audit of the ride.
“The Rapid Ride is a class two ride … and I had been instructed to prioritise the big nine rides and I had done half of those and (I was) to prioritise the rides with higher classification number. TRRR is close to the bottom,” Mr Cruz said.
The inquest is examining what happened just before 2pm on October 26 after a pump stopped working on the Thunder River Rapids Ride, causing water levels to drop and a raft to become stuck on the conveyor belt on October 25, 2016.
That raft was hit by another carrying Luke Dorsett, his sister Kate Goodchild, her daughter Ebony, 12, Roozbeh Araghi, Cindy Low and her son, Kieran, 10.
The four adults were killed. The children escaped uninjured.
The inquest heard in the audit Mr Cruz was getting together documentation including manuals and service bulletins, some which were missing from rides at Dreamworld.
Barrister Matthew Hickey, acting for Cindy Low’s family, asked: “Those documents are necessary to be obtained?”
“Yes,” Mr Cruz replied.
Mr Hickey asked again: “They are necessary because without them one can’t be sure they are maintaining those safely?”
“Yes,” Mr Cruz replied.
The inquest was told Mr Cruz’s employment was the first time Dreamworld had the opportunity to conduct maintenance audits on the ride.
An audit of a single ride could take two months.
– Lea Emery
DREAMWORLD DELAYED REPAIRS FOR ‘BUDGETARY REASONS’
REPAIRS on some rides at Dreamworld were sometimes delayed for budgetary reasons, the inquest into the Thunder River Rapids Ride has been told.
Ardent Leisure maintenance planner Grant Naumann told the inquest there would be discussions about repairs.
“There were discussion as to the cost of repairs or replacements and if it could be deferred as to a time it would better fit the budget,” he said.
A transcript of an interview between Mr Naumann and Workplace Health and Safety investigators shown to the inquest revealed there was corrosion on the Thunder River Rapids Ride.
“It was probably duly noted and, and scheduled for corrective action when, when it could be done and could be afforded to be done,” Mr Naumann said.
The inquest was earlier told the Thunder River Rapids Ride’s conveyor belt had been completely taken apart and put back together five months before the Dreamworld tragedy, the inquest has heard.
Ardent Leisure maintenance planner Grant Naumann told the inquest during the annual shut down in April and May 2016 the chain on the conveyor was completely replaced.
“We noticed wear in the chain. We also had an independent (expert) come out and make recommendations,” he said.
INQUEST: RIDE CONVEYOR WAS COMPLETELY REPLACED IN 2016
THE Thunder River Rapids Ride’s conveyor belt had been completely taken apart and put back together five months before the Dreamworld tragedy, the inquest has heard.
Ardent Leisure maintenance planner Grant Naumann told the inquest during the annual shut down in April and May 2016 the chain on the conveyor was completely replaced.
“We noticed wear in the chain. We also had an independent (expert) come out and make recommendations,” he said.
Mr Naumann said removing the chain meant removing each of the plank.
The inquest heard the planks on the conveyor were replaced in an alternating matter - a new plank, followed by one in good condition followed by an old plank.
An email shown to the inquest shows Mr Naumann ordered the timber in March but did not specify the planks were going to be used on a water ride.
Mr Naumann also attempted to explain minutes of a meeting which showed an order had been made to cut costs.
“Repairs and maintenance spending needs to stop, only CAPEX,” the minutes read.
Mr Naumann said the order was not form him.
“From reading that perhaps we were allocating monies to repair and maintenance when we should have been allocating it to capital expenditure,” he said.
Mr Naumann said the note most likely came from his boss, Chris Deaves.
– Lea Emery
INQUEST: SAFETY MANUAL WARNED OF RAFT DANGER
DREAMWORLD’S own safety guidelines warned of the potential for rafts on the Thunder River Rapids ride to flip and become a serious hazard to guest safety, an inquest has been told.
Park maintenance supervisor Stephen Murphy, who was a team leader at the time of the October 2016 tragedy, told the inquest he did not know the rafts could flip if the water pump failed.
He was then shown a document containing safety guidelines. The manual warned of the potential for rafts to become a hazard.
“If the pump stops for this ride there is the potential for the rafts to become a hazard for the guests riding them,” the manual said.
“The rafts are very heavy and there is a lot of underwater obstacles that could cause the rafts to flip or entrap a guest.”
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