Emergency crews from Queensland Ambulance and representatives of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) were on the scene following the wall collapse of a construction site on Agnes St in Albion. Luckily, no workers were injured in the incident.
At noon on Monday, 24 October 2022, a burst water main led to the wall collapse that temporarily cut off essential utility services like water, gas, and electricity around the apartment blocks along Agnes St.
The video posted by CFMEU on their Facebook page showed the incident as it happened, with someone telling the workers who were still on the site to seek safety on the other side of the street. According to reports, most of the workers were asked to go home earlier that day thus avoiding a potential tragedy.
CFMEU described the incident as “catastrophic” as the water sprayed from the burst pipe, causing the road to soften and crack, causing the supporting structures to disintegrate. The wall collapse created a huge “swimming pool” on the construction site.
WorkSafe Queensland is already conducting investigations into possible safety breaches after reports cited that the Agnes St construction site has had three strikes in three weeks. One resident said that the last strike happened the weekend before Monday’s wall collapse.
CFMEU also said that “workers were pulled out for a number of issues on this job.” The builder, 5 Point Projects, has yet to issue a statement.