Ratchet straps used as 'makeshift' lifting loops in accident, expert says

Three men were injured last Friday after two packets of glass fell from a crane onto them at a government-funded worksite in Albury on the New South Wales-Victoria border. Cranes Australia says photos of the site show ratchet straps being used to lift the glass. What's next? SafeWork NSW continues to investigate the incident, while one man in his 20s remains in a critical condition at hospital. The ABC understands two heavy packets of glass panels fell from a crane onto the workers, leaving one man in his 20s in a critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. A second man in his 20s was taken to Albury Base Hospital with serious but stable leg and back injuries, and a third worker escaped with minor injuries. The union, CFMEU, said the worker from crane company WA Pickles was critically injured and a Padel Concepts labourer sustained a leg fracture. WA Pickles and Padel Concepts were contacted for comment. SafeWork New South Wales said it responded to the incident, but it would not comment while inquiries were ongoing. 'Almost unbelievable disregard' Samuel Ho, director of Cranes Australia, which conducts independent engineering inspections on crane safety and compliance, said the images showed standard cargo tie-down ratchet straps being used as "makeshift lifting loops" to move the panels. "The images depict a severe breach of rigging and crane safety protocols," Mr Ho said. Mr Ho said the straps in the images lacked the structural properties required to safely support a suspended load. "It is comical in a dark sense because using basic transport tie-downs to crane-lift heavy materials reflects such a fundamental, almost unbelievable disregard for basic site safety and high-risk work licensing rules," Mr Ho said. 'Worker lives at extreme risk' Mr Ho said certified synthetic webbing, or chain or wire-rope slings, should have been used for the lift, alongside safety latched hooks or rated shackles. He said lifting equipment should have featured load-limit markings, appropriate protections on sharp edges and been attached to engineered lifting points. "Bypassing certified gear to save time or effort inevitably leads to dropped loads and places worker lives at extreme risk," Mr Ho said. 'Entirely preventable' The ABC understands the site was being developed for padel and futsal facilities and funded through NSW Sport and Recreation. NSW Sport and Recreation declined to comment. The CFMEU said it had asked for crane inspection records, lift plans and other safety documents from companies involved in the project. CFMEU New South Wales branch executive Karma Lord said the accident was "entirely preventable". "A three-tonne glass pack with no rated lifting points should never have gone near a crane," she said.