Man Crushed to Death in Port Melbourne
A man was crushed to death on Tuesday while he was loading cargo on board a ship at the Toll Shipping facility in Port Melbourne, Australia.
A spokesman for Toll Group said the company is conducting an investigation into the incident. “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues, and counselling will be offered to all affected.”
The man, Anthony Attard, aged in his 40s, was treated by an ambulance at the scene, but he could not be saved.
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) national secretary Paddy Crumlin said: "The MUA, its officials, staff and members express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr Attard. Anthony was well liked by all and was a proud and staunch member of the MUA.”
Attard's brother and best friend were with him when he died. He is survived by his wife and three children.
"The MUA has long campaigned for better safety and now demands that this crisis in waterfront safety be addressed by regulation,” Crumlin said. "Safety must be mandatory and it must be law."
Last month, a serious injury sustained by a stevedore employed by Patrick at East Swanson Dock in Melbourne highlighting the danger of working on the waterfront and the need for the urgent establishment of a National Stevedoring Code of Practice, says Crumlin.
The stevedore was admitted to Royal Melbourne Hospital after the straddle he was operating toppled. The incident follows an earlier one where a stevedore was injured while using the same batch of straddles.
MUA Victorian branch secretary Kevin Bracken said, waterfront workers are 14 times more likely to be killed on the job than the average Australian worker.
"Waterfront workers need employers to stop throwing up obstacles to the establishment of a Code of Practice. We need the rules to be set hard and fast so we can minimize injuries and deaths in this dangerous environment.
"The MUA will not rest until better safety standards are established on the waterfront. The proven way to protect and boost workers' safety in dangerous workplaces is through a strong and active union presence."