Accidents at the Barangaroo Harbour

The paper delves into one such accident which took place in Barangaroo, Australia which a beam fell on and killed Timothy Macpherson. The paper would how the contractors can contribute towards minimising such accidents.

Running head: ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
Accidents at the Barangaroo Harbour
Name of the Student:.
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
Executive Summary:
Industries like construction and warehousing are prone to accidents. These accidents take place
due to various factors like presence of hazardous chemicals and explosives. However, the lack of
risk management facilities on the side of the contractors employing the workers is also
responsible for many of such accidents. The paper would delve into one such accident which
took place in Barangaroo, Australia which a beam fell on and killed Timothy Macpherson. The
paper would how the contractors can contribute towards minimising such accidents.

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
Case description:..............................................................................................................................2
Literature review:.............................................................................................................................4
Responsibility of stakeholders:....................................................................................................5
Developing safety leadership:......................................................................................................6
Case analysis and recommendations:..............................................................................................7
Recommendation 1: Taking appropriate risk management steps:...............................................8
Recommendation 2: Strict vigilance and supervision:................................................................8
Recommendation 3: Training of workers on safety measurements:...........................................9
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................10

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
Introduction:
Accidents at construction sites in every country round the world result in injuries and
even death of workers. These accidents result in loss of resources and financial losses. The paper
would delve into one such accident which took place in Barangaroo, Australia. The accident took
the life of a worker called Timothy Macpherson when an iron beam fell onto him while he was
on duty at the harbour construction site. The paper would delve into different aspects of risk
management in Australia like role of the construction companies and the government in
management of these risks. This would be followed by a literature review which would consider
two aspects the role of the stakeholders in risk management and providing risk leadership in the
business organisations. The author would then analyse the accident through these two topics and
then go on to recommend steps to the construction companies to reduce accidents.
Case description:
Timonthy Macpherson or Tim Macpherson was a construction site worker who was
killed when a large iron beam fell on him at Barangaroo Harbour site. He was 32 and was
involved at the Barangaroo site near the Sydney Harbour. He was watching a crane which was
lifting a heavy steel beam. The beam collided with an unsecured beam which fell onto him,
killing him (smh.com.au 2018). The fatal accident had brought several disturbing facts into light.
The contruction at the ferry was being executed by the New Zealand based civil construction
company McConnell Dowell (mcconnelldowell.com 2018). The Maritime Union of Australia
claimed that they were refused access to the site after the accident occurred by the agents of the
construction company. The union further informed the media that the barge on which the

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
construction work was commencing did not qualify the maritime parameters (abc.net.au 2018).
The incident left the workers traumatised and they were unwilling to work following the
accidents. They were being given counselling to help them overcome the trauma of the fatal
accidents they had witnessed (theherald.com.au 2018).
Figure 1. Graph showing worker fatality rates in Australia
(Source: safeworkaustralia.gov.au 2018)
The graph above shows workers’ death in Australia in different sectors in Australia till
2016. It clearly shows that in the construction industry, the number of deaths in 2016 surpassed
the 10 years average figure. This clearly follows the growing concern about the safety of the
workers about which the Maritime Union of Australia had raised concern (theherald.com.au

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
2018). A probe into the matter had brought into light the fact that the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority (AMSA) had handed a prohibition notice to the operators of the barge 10 months
ahead of the accidents. Hence one can infer the commencement of construction on the barge a
clear violation of the orders of AMSA. Mr Brian Parker, secretary, Construction, Forest, Mining
and Energy Union, Australia mentioned that there has been increase in the deaths in the
construction site in Australia (abc.net.au 2018). This comment clearly points out that the gross
violation of the Safe Work Act which mandates all organisations ensure safety of their staff
members. SafeWork NSW under whose rule Barangaroo comes mandates the construction
companies to take safety measures and train employees about safety methods and workplace risk
management (safework.nsw.gov.au 2018). The presence of a large piece of unsecured mass of
steel clearly shows that the construction works in NSW do not follow the laws. The denial by
McConnell Dowell to allow the representatives of Maritime Union of Australia access to the site
of the accidents clearly points out lack of responsibilities of construction companies operating in
Australia towards stakeholders like the government, employees and labour union. The situation
clear indicates the need of urgent government intervention to improve the status of workers’
safety in the construction industry of Australia (legislation.nsw.gov.au 2018). However, the
provision of counselling of workers of the construction site post-accident shows that construction
companies are offering counselling to workers which is a positive change coming about in
Australian construction industry.
Literature review:
The literature review section analyse two topics namely, responsibilities of stakeholders
and developing of safety leadership.

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Responsibility of stakeholders:
Antonelli, D'Alessio and Cuomo (2017) mention that the stakeholders today have the
power to impact projects and the business organisations commencing projects should take into
account expectations of the stakeholders throughout the entire project. The stakeholders of the
projects consist of both internal and external parties which impact the project commencement.
Mok, Shen and Yang (2015) points out the mega construction projects involve more stakeholders
due to their vast expanse and impact. They point out that the large construction projects first of
all involve acquisition of multiple licenses and permits. Authorities like SafeWork New South
Wales mandate the plants and machineries used in the construction projects to be registered with
it (safework.nsw.gov.au 2018). The construction projects attract billions of dollars of financing,
thus necessitating financial assistance from banks and several non-banking institutions. The
investors of the public limited construction also play significant role in ensuring steady
availability of funds for their operations. The government, the actual principle for the project is
also a key stakeholders. Wu et al. (2016) point out to the next group of stakeholders of the
expensive construction projects, the subcontractor firm actually execute the project according the
project plans prepared by the main contracting firm. Heravi, Coffey and Trigunarsyah (2015)
point out that complex planning, financing and execution of construction require these large
number of stakeholders to collaborate to ensure appropriate execution of the project and benefit
of one another. The subcontractors should ensure that the project plans made by the contractors
are execution efficiently. Kamalirad, et al. (2017) point out that construction projects have
immense effects on the environment owing to discharge of immense amount of wastes like
sludge and concrete mixtures. These sites release immense amount of gases, chemicals and other
pollutants which have detrimental effects on the environment. Yusof et al.(2016) in their work

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support Kamalirad et al. (2017) and mention that construction industry is the sources of most
amount of pollution among all the industries. They mention that construction companies
involved in the projects including contractors and sub-contractors exploit scare natural resources
which have detrimental impact on the environment. Jafari et al. (2015) mention that contractors
and subcontractors should not only try to reduce environmental impact but also try to ensure
safety of employees involved in the construction work. This is because, according to the
employees involved in the construction work are important stakeholders and it is the ethical
responsibility of the contracting companies to ensure their safety. The managers should take
steps to ensure safety of employees to reduce accidents and resultant loss of productivity and
human resources.
Developing safety leadership:
Kaskutas et al (2016) mention that contractors and sub-contractors should develop safety
leadership at the construction sites to ensure safety of the labourers involved in the process of
production. Mok, Shen and Yang (2015) mentions that mega construction sites involve a large
number of labourers who actually carry on the construction work. These workers often have to
work under harsh environmental conditions like high temperature and presence of toxic
chemicals. Situations like these put immense pressure on their health and minds. Andersen et al.
(2015) while referring to high risks and rate of accidents at the construction sites hold factors like
the temporary nature and difficulty in predicting risks responsible. Heravi, Coffey and
Trigunarsyah (2015) add to this by pointing out that complex projects require involvement of
different groups of stakeholders like the principal or the body for which construction work is
being carried out, the contractor, sub-contractors and their employees. This often results in
conflicts between the interests of different stakeholders like the governments through laws

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mandate contractors to ensure safety of the labourers while the contractors and subcontractors
emphasise on cutting their costs and often do not ensure employee safety. Schwatka, Hecker and
Goldenhar (2016) mention that this conflicting nature of different stakeholder often culminates
into lack of taking proper measures to ensure employee safety which gives way to high number
of worker injuries and fatalities in the construction industry. Koivupalo et al. (2015) mention that
contractors and sub-contractors should initiate safety leadership programmes at the construction
sites and train the workers on safety measurements. The engineers posted onsite should ensure
that the safety measures like appropriate placement of rods and beams and proper storage of
chemicals are carried out. Kaskutas et al (2016) further point out that worker supervisors should
establish and maintain communication among the workers. This would ensure taking of
appropriate risk management strategies. It would also enable the workers take prompt action like
giving first aid or evacuation a site in case of an accident like fire takes place. The government of
Australia through SafeWork Act and work, health and safety acts mandate the employers in the
construction industry to establish leadership in employee security to reduce accidents at sites of
construction (safework.nsw.gov.au 2018). Thus, one can infer from the discussion that
contractors and sub-contractors should enforce safety leadership among workers to reduce onsite
accidents. It would also enable smoother commencement of construction work and ensure less
extension of tenure, thus reducing costs.
Case analysis and recommendations:
An analysis of the discussion above reveals gross violation of stakeholder interests on the
side of the construction company McConnell Dowell which was commencing the construction in
Barangaroo. The construction company was commencing the construction work on the barge
even after not being approval by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. This was the first

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violation of law by the construction company. The engineers and the supervisors did not take
sufficient measures to ensure that all the beams and bars were secured. It was this gross lack of
responsibility on their side which led to the beam fall onto Tim and kill him. The agents of
McConnell Dowell obstructed the representatives of Maritime Union of Australia from entering
the site post-accident. This showed that the company was not cooperating with the authorities
and the union in holding the investigation. The company by this entire act exhibited gross
violation of the FairWork Act which necessitated government probe for further action. The
following are the recommendations which can be made to the management bodies of the
contractors in the light of the above discussion:
Recommendation 1: Taking appropriate risk management steps:
The management of the construction companies should take appropriate risk management
steps to ensure minimum number of accidents. The contractors should form risk management
strategies as integral parts of the construction work strategy and allocate resources towards them.
They should ensure that the subcontractors either have their own safety management strategy in
place or follow the safety management strategies formed by them. The risk management strategy
should embrace all the individuals on and around the construction sites like labourers of the
contractors, sub-contractors and even temporary staffs.
Recommendation 2: Strict vigilance and supervision:
The contractors should ensure strict supervision of the risk management execution on and
around the sites. The workers should be made to adhere to the safety parameters while they
work. For example, they should be mandated to wear safety goggles on their eyes, chemical
proof gloves on the hands and proper uniform when working with chemicals and gases. The
wires hanging over the construction site, if any should be deactivated to prevent electrocution if

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workers accidentally touch them. The engineers should ensure that the escape ways are not
blocked by heaps of rubbish and free to escape. They should also ensure that the first aid
facilities are always available on site so that workers could be given the basic medical aid, if
required.
Recommendation 3: Training of workers on safety measurements:
The workers should be trained to take steps to avoid danger like appropriate handling of
chemicals and so on. The human resource department of the construction companies should offer
training to the workers on handling risks. This would enable them to take prompt actions in case
of accidents. This would enable the workers to take prompt actions in case of accidents and help
in minimising the damage due to those accidents. The workers as a result be able to contribute
towards minimising the losses of resources and financial losses which construction companies
suffer due to accidents.
Conclusion:
One can conclude from the above discussion that the management of the construction
companies should take appropriate steps in minimising risks. The must realise that injury of
employees are not only detrimental to the morale of employees but also to their execution of
projects. They must take appropriate steps to minimise injuries of employees like offering
appropriate clothing to employees dealing with chemicals. They must also train the employees to
take steps in case of accidents. This would enable the employees to take steps to help each other
in case of an accidents and reduce the loss if possible. Moreover, in event of an accident, the
construction companies should cooperate with the stakeholders like government and the union
investigating into the case. The managers should provide safety leadership and train the
employees on regular basis. The top managers should monitor the safety measures and employee

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skill from time to time. They should also bring about required changes to avoid or at least
minimise future risks. This would enable the construction companies to minimise the losses.
References:
ABC News. 2018. Union claims inspection blocked at Barangaroo site where worker died.
[online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-02/barangaroo-death-union-claims-
inspection-blocked-november/8317516 [Accessed 29 May 2018].
Andersen, L.P., Karlsen, I.L., Kines, P., Joensson, T. and Nielsen, K.J., 2015. Social identity in
the construction industry: implications for safety perception and behaviour. Construction
management and economics, 33(8), pp.640-652.
Antonelli, V., D'Alessio, R. and Cuomo, F., 2017. Beyond Stakeholders Theory: Financial
reporting and voluntary disclosure in Italian SME according to a System dynamics point of
view. Economia Aziendale Online, 7(4), pp.285-304.
Heravi, A., Coffey, V. and Trigunarsyah, B., 2015. Evaluating the level of stakeholder
involvement during the project planning processes of building projects. International Journal of
Project Management, 33(5), pp.985-997.
Jafari, M.J., Gharari, M., Kalantari, S., Omidi, L., Ghaffari, M. and Fardi, G.R.A., 2015. The
influence of safety training on improvement in safety climate in construction sites of a
firm. Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention, 2(4), pp.257-264.
Kamalirad, S., Kermanshachi, S., Shane, J. and Anderson, S., 2017. Assessment of Construction
Projects’ Impact on Internal Communication of Primary Stakeholders in Complex Projects.
In Proceedings for the 6th CSCE International Construction Specialty Conference.

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ACCIDENT AT THE BARANGAROO HARBOUR
Kaskutas, V., Buckner‐Petty, S., Dale, A.M., Gaal, J. and Evanoff, B.A., 2016. Foremen's
intervention to prevent falls and increase safety communication at residential construction
sites. American journal of industrial medicine, 59(10), pp.823-831.
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https://www.theherald.com.au/story/4504383/hunter-man-killed-at-barangaroo/ [Accessed 29
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https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/statistics-and-research/statistics/fatalities/fatality-statistics
[Accessed 29 May 2018].

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