Companies fined $250,000 over Parkville Station concrete blowout
10 May 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
Two companies have been convicted and fined a total of $250,000 following a concrete formwork blowout during construction of Parkville Station in Carlton. About 15 cubic metres of concrete escaped as workers were evacuated.
Adcon Vic Pty Ltd and Adcon Resources Vic Pty Ltd were found guilty of five charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and sentenced ex-parte in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday. Adcon Vic received a $100,000 fine for failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without health risks. Adcon Resources received fines totalling $140,000 for failing to provide a safe system of work and adequate information, instruction and training.
Each company was also fined $5,000 for failing to comply with a requirement to provide information to WorkSafe. They were each ordered to pay $4,054 in costs.
The court heard that Adcon Resources supplied labour and concrete formwork plant to Adcon Vic, which held the contract for formwork and concrete pouring at the station. Workers had cast high tensile Z ties, similar to reinforcing bars, into the underground chamber’s floor to support the base of formwork for a single-sided wall.
During a concrete pour in July 2021, a section of formwork failed, moving uncontrollably and releasing concrete. Workers halted the pour and discovered a sheared tie. They removed it and used a steel beam to bridge the gap without engineering oversight.
When pouring resumed, a series of further tie failures caused about 15 cubic metres of concrete to blow out as workers were evacuated.
WorkSafe’s investigation found the Z ties had been welded to the base reinforcing steel rather than secured using tie holders. Technical specifications advised that the ties could not be welded because of their chemical composition.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Narelle Beer said both companies had failed to establish procedures to ensure a safe workplace. “A blowout of 15 cubic metres of concrete on a major construction site is incredibly dangerous, creating significant risk to workers and anyone else in the vicinity,” Dr Beer said.
“Fortunately, in this case, no one was killed or injured – but it's not enough to rely on good luck, employers and those with management or control of a workplace must do everything they can to identify hazards and eliminate or reduce the risks.”
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