It was billed as a Casino Royale-themed cocktail party for one of Sydney’s largest motorway projects.
“The function will be held on-site as we transform one of our underpasses into something from a James Bond movie,” the invite read.
The end-of-the-year celebration held by contractors building the NSW government’s $2.6 billion motorway to Sydney Airport was designed to have an element of surprise on the night.
The entrance to the party held in one of the underpasses for the new Sydney Gateway motorway.
Large red curtains were draped from a steel truss at the entrance. Behind them, a stage, bar, seating areas and a “casino” area featuring a roulette wheel to match the theme greeted guests, whose dress code was “cocktail attire”.
Yet within 40 minutes of starting, the party for the project’s staff and partners had upturned the life of one guest, leaving her with serious injuries and raising questions about why a large event was held on a government construction site.
Internal documents obtained by the Herald chronicle in detail what happened on the night and show the contractors shared risk assessments with Transport for NSW in the lead-up to the party.
It had been a hot summer’s day on December 9 before a mild easterly suddenly turned to a strong southerly in the early evening.
Shortly after 7pm, a southerly buster – reaching up to 63 km/h – blew through the front of the party venue, toppling the truss holding the red curtains onto guests congregating in the entrance area.
The truss struck a woman on the top and back of her head, pushing her onto a table. Her husband rushed to her aid, and other guests helped to lift the truss while several called for an ambulance.
St John medics who had been onsite provided “wound management and spinal immobilisation techniques” to the injured woman, as well as gave first aid to another guest who had a bump to his head and a minor laceration from the falling truss.
The party had a “Casino Royale” theme.
Despite the injuries, organisers decided to continue with the party – even before an ambulance had taken the injured woman and her husband to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
At the time of the party, construction had been under way for almost three years on the project, dubbed Sydney Gateway, which comprised five kilometres of motorway and 19 bridge structures.
Contractors John Holland and Seymour Whyte had hired Eventify Creative to design, construct and co-ordinate the party at the 80-metre underpass referred to on project designs as “SB11”, which was on Qantas Drive, near the northern end of the airport’s main-south runway.
Months later, a report into the incident by John Holland says that senior staff from the contractors and Eventify decided to allow the party to continue because the injured woman was “conscious, talking, recalling information, moving limbs, and considering the impact to other guests of cancelling the event”.
The woman remained in hospital for several weeks afterwards as she received treatment for fractures to six ribs, sternum and vertebrae – two of which had to be “surgically fused”.
The 40-page report, completed in February, reveals that risk assessments conducted during party planning by Sydney Gateway and Eventify were shared “with TfNSW, including incorporating TfNSW comments”.
The risk assessments focused on the arrival and departure of guests, access to the underpass site, security, intoxicated behaviour, medical events and noise.
However, Transport for NSW later told the contractors in a letter that it “should have been clear” that the review of a risk assessment “could not provide authorisation for the event on behalf” of the agency and that “proper authorisation” should have been sought.
The final stage of the Sydney Gateway motorway project opened to motorists early last month.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The letter was also critical of the contractor’s report for not appearing to question “whether conducting a social event involving alcohol” was an acceptable risk in the first place.
The agency’s own policy stipulates that “alcohol must not be consumed” on its premises, and that workers on duty at the agency’s or “industry partner work functions held off-premises must not consume alcohol”.
Transport for NSW said in a statement that subsequent investigations and formal follow-ups with the contractor showed that the assessments were provided to a mid-level safety manager at the agency.
However, it said he was not authorised to approve the event, and correct approvals were not sought from higher levels at Transport to host an on-site party.
The agency confirmed that the mid-level safety manager, who was part of the Sydney Gateway project team, attended the event in an “off-duty capacity”, which was later reported to his superior as part of its investigation.
Transport for NSW said approval for the party would not have been granted if it had been sought through the correct process.
“We extend our sympathy to the woman who was injured and her family,” it said. “NSW government project work sites are not venues for Christmas drinks and this has been strongly reiterated to the senior ranks at the contractor.”
The agency said it had issued formal notices to the contractors that the event was not a permitted use of the site and “should never be repeated on other work sites” and had marked down the joint venture’s performance rating.
A spokesperson for the John Holland-Seymour Whyte joint venture said it launched an investigation immediately after the incident and had “taken steps to prevent this happening again”.
While organisers had deemed the event a “low to medium risk”, John Holland’s confidential report into the incident found that there was “no plan or mention” of the truss for the curtains during meetings with Eventify Creative over several months before the party.
“As the event planning committee did not inquire and was not aware that such a structure would be utilised for the event, there was a missed opportunity to consider and apply the appropriate level of temporary works design and certification,” it found.
An Eventify spokesman said it had subcontracted the supply and installation of the structure in question and declined to comment further.
The subcontractor AV Productions said: “Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with those affected by this deeply distressing event. As the incident is currently under investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
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