Doncaster East: Coroner calls for tougher balcony rules after fatal 2017 Tupperware party
Newly-constructed balconies could be forced to have signage detailing age and capacity limits following a Coroner’s findings into a tragic 2017 Tupperware party accident.
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A Coroner has found a balcony which collapsed and killed two women at a Tupperware Christmas party was unsafe for more than 30 years.
Coroner Paresa Spanos called for tougher safety measures, including signage detailing age and capacity limits on all newly-constructed balconies, in her findings into the tragic incident in Doncaster East on December 16, 2017.
Croydon’s Cheryl Taylor, 59 and Reservoir’s Sarah Kajoba, 37, died when part of a timber deck holding more than 30 people collapsed at a Balinga Ct home.
Ms Taylor died at the scene, while Ms Kajoba died in hospital from her injuries a few hours later.
Seventeen other people were injured after partygoers fell 2.7m to the ground in the terrifying collapse, which led to the inquest focusing on the structure’s safety.
Coroner Spanos handed down her findings in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday following a two-day inquest in June 2020.
She found a load beam was undersized at the time of construction, had been poorly maintained, and provided inadequate support.
Coroner Spanos determined the poor support led to the balcony collapsing when the group of partygoers were gathering for a photo on the night of the fatal incident.
She also found the balcony, estimated to be 30 years old, did not comply with plans approved by Manningham Council in 1987 and did not meet relevant industry standards at the time and in 2017.
Coroner Spanos said 34 other people were also injured in other balcony collapses from March 2014 to June 2019, and made five key recommendations to the Victorian Building Authority to prevent further incidents and deaths.
They included mandatory inspections at either the frame stage or final stage of construction to ensure balconies comply with applicable standards, and improved public awareness of regular inspections and maintenance, particularly for timber structures.
Coroner Spanos also recommended the authority consider mandatory signage on all newly-constructed balconies to alert users of its age and capacity limits, and the need for regular inspection and maintenance.
“This case highlights the risks of complacency among building owners and occupiers when it
comes to timber balconies … and the potential gains that can be made by adopting strategies aimed at reducing the risk of similar incidents in the future,” Coroner Spanos said.
The VBA’s state building surveyor, Andrew Cialini, said the authority was “actively working through the recommendations made” by Coroner Spanos.
“We have already begun reinforcing the importance of inspections of framework and increasing public awareness of the need for regular inspections and maintenance of balconies and decks,” Mr Cialini said.
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