Call for crane checks after UTS fire

28 Nov 2012, 6:45 pm   -   Source: AAP
Safety concerns mean it's not yet known when Wattle Street will be reopened, Sydney's Transport Management Centre said on Wednesday morning. (AAP)

Safety concerns mean it's not yet known when Wattle Street will be reopened, Sydney's Transport Management Centre said on Wednesday morning. (AAP)

WorkCover has called for engineering checks on cranes at Sydney building sites after one caught alight and crashed onto a university roof.

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A crane that caught fire and toppled onto a Sydney university building has prompted union calls for city-wide engineering checks, the promise of a "safety roundtable" and an investigation by emergency services.

Construction company Lend Lease, which manages the inner-city building site at the centre of Tuesday's emergency, has promised to "work closely" with authorities investigating the accident at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The construction workers' union has alleged Lend Lease was warned fuel was leaking from the crane but did nothing.

A safety roundtable of the parties involved will be held next week, WorkCover general manager for work health and safety John Watson announced on Wednesday.

"I would urge all contractors across NSW to check the state of tower cranes and related machinery and ensure they are compliant with work health and safety legislation in the wake of Tuesday's serious workplace incident," Mr Watson said in a statement.

Wattle Street in Ultimo remains cordoned off between Broadway and Thomas Street as engineers continue to assess the site.

Hundreds were evacuated from the construction site and adjacent UTS buildings, with the emergency closing the busy Broadway thoroughfare and causing major traffic disruption.

WorkCover, emergency services and Lend Lease have launched investigations into the fire and the collapse of the 65-metre crane's boom.

Construction Forestry Mining and Engineering Union (CFMEU) NSW secretary Brian Parker said the crane was "an accident waiting to happen" and Lend Lease had been warned of the fuel leak.

"We have evidence of the fact that workers were complaining about getting soiled clothes, soiled helmets from drops dripping on them consistently from this particular crane," he told Macquarie Radio on Wednesday.

"With the heat that generates up there in the crane box on a motor, with leaking fluid, there's no doubt in my mind that could have been a contributing factor to the fire breaking out and the collapse of the boom."

Lend Lease CEO Steve McCann said safety was the company's highest priority.

"We ... have a history of working closely with construction industry unions and have always co-operated with the authorities and will continue to do so ... in a transparent and collaborative manner," Mr McCann said in a statement.

The crane is owned by a Sefton company, Marr Contracting, and leased to Lend Lease.

A Marr Contracting worker told AAP the company had no comment, except to say that "we support WorkCover in all their investigations".

WorkCover inspectors were at the site on Wednesday and have discussed plans to remove the damaged machinery with Lend Lease, union officials and emergency services personnel.

"WorkCover is satisfied that there is no further risk of debris or the crane falling from the building," the agency said in a statement.

The National Tertiary Education Union on Wednesday called for a public inquiry into the crane collapse.

The union's UTS branch president Simon Wade said he was concerned that safety at the site had been sacrificed, endangering building workers, firefighters, university staff, students and the public.

Mr Wade said workers at the Lend Lease construction site had said that as the crane burned, they were instructed by their supervisor not to stop work.

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