A construction worker in Perth had a near-death experience when he was lifted three storeys into the air by a crane while holding onto a line that was also being used to hoist a tree. The incident, which occurred at a construction site in South Perth just before noon on Wednesday, was captured on video and shared online. In the footage, the worker can be seen holding onto the line as the crane lifts him into the air. One shocked onlooker can be heard saying, “You’re kidding me. You are actually f
** kidding me.”The worker was eventually lowered to safety, but the incident has sparked outrage from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). CFMEU state secretary Mick Buchan said that the incident could have easily resulted in a fatality.
“We have seen four fatalities in as many weeks in the construction industry in Western Australia and today could well have made it five with this near miss,” he said.
“Our organisers are out there every day making sure sites are safe and that everyone gets to go home at the end of the day and to see these cowboys fragrantly abusing basic safety protocols is disappointing, to say the least.”
The CFMEU has been in touch with the project manager and will be following up with a full investigation. 7NEWS.com.au has contacted the construction company for comment.
