Work on Cross River Rail (CRR)’s Boggo Road worksite has been suspended following an incident on Tuesday, in which a worker fell from height.
The man, who was performing scaffolding duties, was taken to hospital by ambulance and remains in a critical condition.
A CRR spokesperson said the organisation’s “continued thoughts and prayers are with the worker, his loved ones and his colleagues”.
“This is a very sad incident, and its impact is being felt right across the project today.
“Safety is Cross River Rail’s top priority, and we expect our contractors to uphold the highest possible standards.
“In the meantime, support is being offered to staff across the project.”
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the incident.
The Boggo Road site remains closed, and will reopen when the safety regulator and the on-site contractor deem it appropriate to do so.
Safety pauses are also occurring across the project’s other worksites, with safety checks occurring across sites, including on erected scaffolding.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the incident was a traumatic event for the worker, his family and fellow workers on-site.
“It is also understandably distressing for workers across the project and I understand counselling services have been made available to all workers,” he said.
“This is a terrible accident. Every worker deserves to go home safely, every day.”
Unions attended multiple worksites on Wednesday morning at the invitation of the on-site contractors.
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) members gathered at Queen’s Park to protest the safety conditions across the Cross River Rail sites, saying they would not return to work until their safety concerns were addressed.
CFMEU Queensland head Michael Ravbar said it was an incident which would never have happened had safety protocols been properly enforced.
“Despite Mark Bailey’s protestations to the contrary, CFMEU officials have directly raised serious safety and other issues with mim and his senior staff on numerous occasions,” he said.
“It’s up to him to fix this mess, or for the Premier to appoint a minister who will.”
