Three safety incidents including a forklift rollover were reported at the John Hunter Hospital expansion construction site before last week's workplace fatality, SafeWork NSW has confirmed.
Harry Mcwilliam, 20, was killed on July 5 after a steel reinforcement fell onto him at the Newcastle construction site, where Australian-based company Multiplex is completing the $835 million hospital project for the NSW government.
SafeWork NSW said a forklift rolled over at the work site in January 2023, and the state government body was also alerted after an excavator unearthed a high voltage powerline in May.
This came after SafeWork issued an improvement notice in relation to an incident in December involving a failed hydraulic test.
No one was injured in any of the three incidents preceding Mr Mcwilliam's death and SafeWork said the improvement notice was complied with.
"SafeWork has taken action to educate and ensure the PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) with primary duty of care to the health and safety of workers implements corrective actions to prevent similar incidents," a spokesperson for SafeWork NSW said.
Health Infrastructure NSW said the site remained closed while SafeWork investigated last week's fatal incident.
"The safety and well-being of our workers, contractors and community is the highest priority in the delivery of our projects," a Health Infrastructure NSW spokesperson said.
"Health Infrastructure will continue to collaborate with the principal contractor multiplex to undertake any necessary additional safety measures that are required."
Multiplex were contacted for comment.
