AN electrician, 25, died last Thursday (12 November) while performing regular maintenance on the roof of an air conditioner factory in Canterbury Rd, Braeside.
Colleagues of the man, Ron Ricketts, later paid tribute online, calling him a “good mate who had died too young”.
On the same day Carlos Araujo, 29, was killed when a section of pipe fell from a forklift at a concrete pumping company in Kirkham Rd, Keysborough.
Mr Araujo was bassist of heavy metal band Crowned Kings. Its members said on Facebook: “It’s with heavy hearts and our deepest condolences that we say goodbye to our best friend.”
Both men died at the scene.
WorkSafe is investigating the incidents. A spokesman said the lead-up to Christmas was “the most dangerous time of year”.
“More workers are killed at this time than any other,” he said. “It’s a busy time when people may have their minds elsewhere.”
He said there had been 15 workplace deaths so far this year – compared to 16 for the same period last year – and five in the past nine days.
According to WorkSafe’s executive director of health and safety Marnie Williams statistics show that November and December is the most dangerous time of year for Victorian workers.
“Our figures show that since 2005, almost 25 per cent of all workplace fatalities have occurred in the final two months of the year,” Ms Williams said.
“So we are asking every employer to stop and make absolutely sure they have the systems in place to protect their employees.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 18 November 2015
