Terrence Close would not have been killed if Australian safety standards were followed on roadwork sites, a Coroner found.
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Mr Close was working as a traffic controller on Vermont Road at Mowbray in February 2013 when he was hit by a car driven by Murray Higgs.
Mr Close was rushed to the Launceston General Hospital by ambulance, but the crash caused fatal injuries to his chest and abdomen and he died at the hospital.
Coroner Simon Cooper released his findings in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He said Mr Close's death was unnecessary and he would not have died if the Australian Standard under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 was followed.
"I observe that although well aware of the fact of the inquest and that it was concerned with the death, at work, of an apparently valued employee, his employer Altus choose not to appear at the inquest, a decision as insulting to Mr Close's family as it was unhelpful to me," Coroner Cooper said.
Three recommendations were made in Coroner Cooper's findings;
- The adoption of the applicable Australian Standard as a Code of Practice under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 would enhance the safety of road workers. Accordingly, I recommend that the Minister for Building and Construction adopt the Standard as a Code of Practice pursuant to section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012.
- It should also be clear that had there been compliance with the applicable Australian Standard then Mr Close would not have been killed. I therefore recommend that all roadworks be carried out in a manner that complies as closely as practicable with the applicable Australian Standard
- Aside from Mr Higgs' criminal inattention and speeding, a significant reason why Mr Close was killed was because he had no barrier between him and the first car approaching him. Numerous methods were identified to ensure that no road worker need ever be the 'first line of defence'. I recommend that under no circumstances should any road worker be positioned on the road without a physical barrier between her or him and the first approaching vehicle.
Coroner Cooper also said it was the responsibility of all drivers on Tasmanian roads to ensure the safety of road workers.