A ‘joke’, says dead worker’s widow as coroner’s advice ignored

The widow of a construction worker crushed to death on a scissor lift has lashed out after the coroner’s advice was ignored.

Pam Gurner-Hall, widow of Jorge Castillo-Riffi, has described the government’s response to coroner Mark Johns’s recommendations as a ‘pathetic joke’. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

The widow of a construction worker who was crushed to death on a scissor lift five years ago has lashed out after the state Liberal government rejected every key recommendation of the coroner to ensure other workers do not face a similar fate.

In a case that has national ramifications, with another six workers having been killed on scissor lifts in Australia since Jorge Castillo-Riffi died working at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2014, the South Australian government has finalised its response to the coronial inquest into the tragedy.

His widow, Pam Gurner-Hall, on Monday described the response as “a pathetic joke” as the government rejected the coroner’s key recommendation — the introduction of compulsory “spotters” to work in conjunction with scissor lift operators to watch for dangers.

The government also dismissed the proposed creation of a new legal advisory role to help guide the partners of killed workers through the judicial system when deaths occur.

The coroner also recommended that building sites try to avoid using different models of scissor lifts, which vary so much in their design and operation that the gears and even the on/off switches often function in an opposite fashion, meaning a worker who has swapped machines can inadvertently start or engage a mach­ine they are trying to stop. That recommendation was noted by the SA government, with a proposal for it to be discussed at the next relevant COAG meeting.

Ms Gurner-Hall said she “couldn’t be more disappointed” with the response.

“It’s bad enough that Jorge died, but it is sickening that since then another six workers have died and the government is still not acting on these key recommendations,” she said.

Castillo-Riffi, 54, was crushed when his scissor lift moved into a wall, trapping him on the building’s third floor about 7am on Nov­ember 28, 2014. He wasn’t found for about 15 minutes by his distraught colleagues because of a lack of spotters, and because there were no witnesses.

Coroner Mark Johns apportioned no blame for the accident to Castillo-Riffi, who was described in the inquest as an “experienced and safety-conscious” worker who was “diligent and meticulous” about his patching job.

Mr Johns was highly critical of the wide variation in the design of scissor lifts, saying that in the absence of standardisation across industry, secondary safeguards were needed. He called for on-ground spotters to be used.

The state government has rejected that recommendation, opting to stick with the existing regulations under the 2012 Workplace and Safety Act, which allow for the voluntary use of spotters where appropriate.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said he had been advised that in some cases, spotters could endanger workers or themselves by creating confusion about who was watching for ­danger.

“The government agrees with the coroner’s recommendation to progress the standardisation of scissor lift controls across the country,” he said.

Ms Gurner-Hall dismissed Mr Lucas’s comments and said the government’s safety watchdog, SafeWorkSA, had interviewed businesses that used scissor lifts and found that 73 per cent of respondents supported the mandatory use of spotters, the remainder saying they favoured the existing risk approach.

“Most businesses support it but the government has opted for the status quo, presumably on cost grounds,” she said. “It didn’t save Jorge in 2014. It won’t do anything to save any other workers in 2019.”