Australian Suspended Platform Death

Painter falls 40m to his death after gantry collapses: He was a local legend who died doing what he did best and at the age of 70, Tom Hynes was still regarded as the most professional painter in Maroubra. Tom "the Pom", as he was known, fell 40m to his death when his gantry collapsed yesterday while painting the back of the Maroubra Seals Club. A desperate rescue operation was launched as a co-worker was left dangling, the wood and metal platform swinging precariously above his head. A harness saved the younger man but Mr Hynes plunged head first into the lane behind the club. Club president Alan Langford said Mr Hynes was an old friend who would be missed by all who knew him. "He's part of the Seals family - he's been around for 30 years," Mr Langford said. "He was a great story-teller and a great bloke." Mr Langford said the club would meet on Wednesday night to plan an event in his memory. He said he and other members of the club's management had attended a counselling session. "All the emotions you can think of - frustration, anger with different things that happened and shock (came out at the session)," he said. Builder Dayne Cox, who was working at Maroubra ambulance station - just 50m away - was among the first to arrive at the scene but said it was obvious little could be done to save Mr Hynes. "He was bleeding pretty heavily from the mouth so we raced back over to get the ambulance guys but there was no way they could resuscitate him, he had already died," Mr Cox said. "We then grabbed a ladder to try to help the bloke who was dangling from his harness but they ended up getting him into the building."

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A second drama occurred at the scene later when a crane brought in to move the fallen gantry toppled over on to an empty car. The crane driver was trapped inside for about 10 minutes.
As WorkCover investigators joined police and union officials in the inquiry Mr Hynes was praised by locals for his professionalism and decades of contributions to the beachside community. "He was a legend - simple as that," friend Percy Jones said. "People would queue up to hire Tom's services. He was very popular. As a painter and a good bloke he was second to none. "He was a big fella. He's only just celebrated his 70 birthday and was going real strong. This is just terrible."

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Superintendent Peter McErlain said Mr Hynes was sub-contracted to the club for maintenance work. Officers were investigating conflicting reports about whether the victim was wearing a harness when the platform - which ended up dangling from the ropes on one side - gave way.
Paramedic Peter Ennis said the surviving man was "uncomfortable but calm" during the 30-minute operation to retrieve him from his harness, which was swinging from the bottom end of the gantry 20m above the ground.

The standards in this area are lead by the Specialist Access Engineering and Maintenance Association (SAEMA) although other members of the Access Industry Forum (AIF) may have an interest in such platforms. The HSE publication on window cleaning using suspended platforms also contains precautions required when using the platforms.