The grieving family of a Sydney apprentice crushed to death by scaffolding want the government to ensure stringent safety measures are implemented at construction sites.
Christopher Cassaniti was crushed to death on Monday after 15-metre high scaffolding collapsed on him and a co-worker at a construction site in Macquarie Park.
His family said they didn't want the young tradesman's death to be "just another statistic".
"We ask that the government step in and take immediate action and implement stringent measures regarding safety on construction sites," his uncle Joe Cassaniti said on Tuesday.
"Crucial safety checks and procedures need to be front and centre of every construction site."
He said the family was awaiting answers on what went wrong on Monday.
"We will miss him dearly. Christopher was the jewel of our family.
"One dead is too many."
Paramedics were initially unable to reach the formworker who was trapped under rubble and was pronounced dead at the scene a few hours after the incident.
Video from the scene showed workers confronting police who refused to let them search the tangled metal at the apartment complex site.
"You're wasting time," one worker yells.
"If you move anything more, it could collapse," an officer responds, saying other emergency crews are needed to stabilise the site.
Mr Cassaniti turned 18 last Wednesday and hosted a birthday party on Saturday.
The circumstances of his death are being investigated by SafeWork NSW and police.
Some 35 workers died on NSW construction sites in the two years to June 2017, according to the State Insurance Regulatory Authority.
Construction is also one of the most common industries for major workplace injuries with one in every 67 workers injured in the year to June 2017.
