Families’ desperate plea for answers over workplace death

The families of two tradies killed when the trench they were working in collapsed on a Ballarat construction site have told a coroner they “need answers”.

The families of two tradies killed when the trench they were working in collapsed on a Ballarat construction site have told a coroner they “need answers”.

Jack Brownlee, 21, and Charlie Howkins, 34, were found buried in a caved-in trench by two concreters at the Winterfield housing development in Delacombe, on March 21, 2018.

Mr Howkins died at the scene while colleagues spent 2.5 hours digging Mr Brownlee free with their hands, tools and an excavator, but he passed away in hospital the following day.

More than four years later, their families are still waiting to find out how the disaster occurred.

“They need answers,” said barrister Maria Pilipasidis, for Dr Lana Cormie, the wife of Mr Howkins.

The court heard Dr Cormie, along with the parents of Mr Brownlee — David and Janine — maintained their years-long calls for a coronial inquest into the deaths of their loved ones.

Civil construction company Pipecon pleaded guilty to breaching workplace safety laws and was fined $550k in November, paving the way for a potential coronial inquest to finally be run.

Lawyer Michael Sayers, for the United Firefighters Union, told the Coroner’s Court that the union had “been calling for changes and almost foresaw this possibility” before the fatal tragedy occurred.

Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Hawkins told Mr Sayers it was the “perfect opportunity” for the union to make a statement on what had and hadn’t been done in the wake of the workplace accident.

Judge Hawkins said “there is a need to potentially make some recommendations” over the fatal incident, but Her Honour wasn’t yet sure whether an inquest was required to do that.

The court will seek further statements from emergency services and experts, which is set to cause a delay of up to six months.

“It’s going to take us a while to get this material,” Judge Hawkins said.

Dr Cormie and Janine and Dave Brownlee said they were “pleased the coroner has confirmed she will conduct further investigations into the deaths of Charlie and Jack,” they said through lawyers Maurice Blackburn.

The matter was adjourned to a later date.