The June electrocution of a teenager walking beside a light rail construction site in Sydney’s CBD was likely the third electrocution at that site, was mismanaged in its aftermath, and was potentially caused by the irregular design of a traffic signal pit, an independent report has concluded.
A 15-year-old Sydney girl was rushed to hospital on June 10, after being shocked while walking in wet socks along George Street, in Haymarket.
Four others were electrocuted when they tried to help the girl.
An independent report ordered by Transport for NSW secretary Rodd Staples has concluded a worn cable and rain in the days leading to the incident likely caused the electrocution.
It also says two homeless people may have been shocked at the same site a week earlier, but this was not reported at the time.
The report, compiled by independent investigator John Guselli, finds an electric cable was compressed between the lid of a traffic signal pit and its supporting frame.
The compression, over time, caused insulation around the wire to be worn away, allowing the exposed wire to energise the pit lid.
The report also states the pit was just 300mm deep, compared to the standard 600mm, and says “the design of the pit is likely to have contributed to the incident”.
Guselli’s report also concludes the complexity of site and asset ownership arrangements meant there was some initial confusion about which agency had control of the site, and therefore who should lead the response.
A breakdown in communications also meant the serious nature of the incident, and the situation around the scene itself, “were not known or communicated across the cluster until almost 24 hours later”.
Staples said safety incident escalation procedures within the Transport cluster would be reviewed in response to the report.
“The investigation has helped to highlight areas of improvement for the transport cluster as a whole and I will make it my priority to implement the recommendations and drive the changes necessary,” Staples said on August 3.
“This was a highly distressing incident and I would like to apologise to the young lady and her family and all of those who were impacted by the event. Safety is our number one priority and these events are totally unacceptable, which is why I commissioned the independent investigation.”