A dockworker was recently killed after a large load of aluminium shifted, fell and crushed him as it was being loaded onto a Chinese-registered bulk carrier at Carrington in the Newcastle area.
Greg Fitzgibbon, a 56-year-old wharfie with Newcastle Stevedores, was killed while working on board the Weaver Arrow, which was docked at the Eastern Basin Distribution Centre.
NSW Police said that as the ship was being loaded with a cargo of aluminium ingots by crane, a 20 tonne pallet unexpectedly shifted and crushed the man. Ambulance paramedics attended the scene but could not revive Fitzgibbon.
“We await the outcome of the current investigations but as soon as it is completed, we’ll be seeking urgent meetings with Newcastle Stevedores to work through processes of better safety in the workplace to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” said Maritime Union of Australia assistant national secretary Warren Smith.