A wall collapse in Melbourne that killed three people could have been prevented by construction company Grocon, Victoria's workplace regulator alleges.
Teenage siblings Alexander and Bridget Jones of Melbourne and Dr Marie-Faith Fiawoo, 33, of France, were killed when a 15-metre-long section of the brick wall fell onto Swanston Street in the CBD in March last year.
The Victorian WorkCover Authority last month charged three Grocon entities and sign builder Aussie Signs Pty Ltd with failing to ensure a safe workplace.
Charge sheets tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates Court this week allege both companies failed to ensure an advertising hoarding attached to the wall was secure.
"It was reasonably practicable for Grocon Pty Limited to have eliminated or reduced the risk," the charge sheets state.
"The attachment of the hoarding to the wall was unsafe.
"The risks that persons were exposed to as a result of the failures of Grocon Builders was a risk of death or serious injury."
Grocon hired Aussie Signs to attach the 80-metre long hoarding to the wall in October 2011.
The Victorian WorkCover Authority says neither company sought a building permit for the hoarding nor an engineering report about the wall's capacity to support it.
The five charges against Grocon have a maximum penalty of $6 million in fines, while the two charges against Aussie Signs carry potential fines of more than $1.2 million.
The matter briefly returned to the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday and was adjourned until August 25.
An inquest into the wall collapse will begin in June.
