Worker’s Memorial Day: Chris Biddell-Roach, Malcolm Lever share stories
Chris’ life was changed when a job the young apprentice tradie was on went terribly wrong. WARNING: DISTRESSING PICTURES
Outer East
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Chris Biddell-Roach was only an apprentice tradie when he plummeted more than 6m from a double-storey house in Chelsea.
The 20-year-old roof plumber-in-training, who had never worn a safety harness in his five months on the job, was attempting to climb down from the roof when it started to rain.
He slipped, falling through a guard railing, striking a fence before slamming onto a neighbour’s concrete driveway.
The Cranbourne man is one of the lucky ones, but every day now is still focused on recovery for both him and his family.
Mr Biddell-Roach suffered horrendous injuries in the fall last August.
The apprentice was rushed to The Alfred hospital where he underwent a craniotomy to release pressure and bleeding on the brain.
He also suffered two broken arms, a fractured pelvis and sore neck.
“Because of the trauma to my brain, I can’t remember a thing about what happened or the entire month beforehand, which is pretty frustrating,” Mr Biddell-Roach said.
“All I remember is waking up from a coma and finding out how lucky I was to be alive.”
Eight months on from his fall, Mr Biddell-Roach is still unable to return to the job he loves and is unsure if he ever will.
He spends his days working on his physical and cognitive rehabilitation.
He said his ordeal had a huge impact on his family and partner Natalie.
“...Be safe and look after yourself,” Mr Biddell-Roach said, in a message to other workers on World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Worker’s Memorial Day.
“If you take just one wrong step you could be gone, or your life — like mine — could be changed forever.”
Malcolm Lever, 68, of Yarra Junction, was also lucky not to be killed when a multi-tonne pine tree collapsed onto him at a Gruyere farm in May 2016.
The grandfather was removing damaged trees that had fallen in a storm and was cutting a branch off the tree with a chainsaw when its root ball lifted.
The whole trunk sprung up and toppled, pinning Mr Lever to the ground.
He was left in excruciating pain for around 20 minutes until a front loader arrived and he was released.
Mr Lever spent three days in a coma at the Royal Melbourne hospital before undergoing multiple surgeries and rehabilitation for extensive injuries including an amputated finger, fractures to his hand, pelvis, spine and both ankles as well as an abdominal crush injury and perforated bowel.
Mr Lever said he experiences frequent flashbacks and nightmares following the accident and is unable to play with his grandson.
He is also unable to put on his socks and suffers from constant pain but has been able to maintain a positive outlook.
“I (went from a) strong and fit person who used to run 10km a few times a week, to someone who couldn’t walk at all,” he said.
Malcolm’s employer was prosecuted by WorkSafe and was convicted and fined $20,000 for failure to conduct a risk or hazard assessment, failure to identify a risk or hazard and failure to provide staff with information, instruction, training or supervision.
“The impact this accident has had on (my) family has been huge,” Mr Lever said.
“I appreciate every day I’m alive … I know how easily I could have been killed that day, but it clearly wasn’t my time.”
Lawyer Christina Villano, for Maurice Blackburn, said too many lives were “lost or irrevocably affected” through workplace accidents.
“Each and every one of us has a role to play in promoting workplace safety … everyone at work has the right to come home safely at the end of each day,” she said.
Worker’s Memorial Day is held on April 28 to reflect on how to prevent occupational injuries and remember those who have lost their lives on the job.
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