NZ man falls to death in Melbourne workplace accident

A New Zealand man was killed on a Melbourne construction site at the weekend when a 24-metre high drilling rig he was harnessed to collapsed.

Sonny Swaanebeck, 30, of Northland, was tied to the top mast of the drilling and pile-driving machine, used in the construction of high-rise buildings, when the accident happened about 2pm Saturday in Southport, south Melbourne.

WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt told NZPA Mr Swaanbeck was attempting to reattach a cable to a pulley when the 20-tonne mast came loose plummeting to the ground, pulling Mr Swaanebeck down with it.

Paramedics tried to revive him but he died at the scene.

Mr Birt said it appeared the work Mr Swaanebeck was doing at the time was a routine part of his job.

The vast majority of workplace accidents happened while people were performing familiar tasks and were preventable, he said.

"The so-called freak accident never really actually happens."

WorkSafe would be looking at whether the machine had any faulty parts which could have contributed to the accident and whether staff were adequately supervised and trained, Mr Birt said.

- NZPA