McPhee, Timothy
Deceased
Timothy James McPhee
Demographics
23y, male
Date of death
2011-04-19
Finding date
2013-09-30
Cause of death
Multiple injuries due to industrial trauma from building collapse and crush injury
AI-generated summary
Timothy James McPhee, 23, died from crush injuries when a building being lowered by a Trewhella jack collapsed at Bundaberg Airport on his second day of work. The operator (Henry Herbener) lost grip of the jack handle during lowering, causing the 600mm jack to drop completely and the building to fall uncontrollably, crushing McPhee. The jack itself did not fail—rather operator error combined with an unsuitable jack for the lowering task. The Trewhella jack's pawl cannot be re-engaged while under load if the handle is lost, making it dangerous for this application. Manufacturer guidance recommended two-person operation under heavy load, which was not followed. Safety precautions were inadequate: no secondary support systems ('safety sties') existed, and the jack was inappropriate for lowering. The incident highlighted that the house removal/restumping industry lacks any Queensland or national regulations, guidelines, or uniform practices despite previous deaths. The coroner recommended urgent regulatory review within 12 months to establish mandatory safety standards including use of hydraulic jacks for lowering, safety sty backup supports, and formal training/qualifications for licensed personnel.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Operator loss of grip on Trewhella jack handle during lowering
- Trewhella jack inappropriate for lowering under load
- Failure to follow manufacturer recommendation for two-person operation
- Absence of secondary safety supports (safety sties)
- Inadequate system of work with no formal safety procedures
- Lack of industry regulation and standardised practices
- Design limitation of Trewhella jack: pawl cannot be re-engaged during loaded lowering if handle is lost
Coroner's recommendations
- Regulatory authority must commit to a comprehensive review of house removal/restumping/raising/lowering industry work practices in consultation with industry stakeholders within 12 months
- Implement mandatory regulations by 1 October 2014 to standardise safety practices across Queensland and Australia
- Prohibit use of Trewhella jacks for lowering operations; mandate hydraulic jacks (such as bottle jacks) for both raising and lowering
- Implement use of 'safety sties' as secondary structural supports to provide static back-up protection in event of sudden drop
- Require restrictor valves on hydraulic jack lowering mechanisms to control descent rate
- Position pig sties outside building alignment where possible, with girders protruding past building extremities
- Establish formal training and qualification requirements for licensed house removal/restumping personnel, including knowledge of engineering principles involving static and dynamic loads
- Review applicability of qualification requirements to all persons or new applicants only, with potential grandfathering of existing licensed persons for limited period
- Establish continuous improvement program for industry regulations with periodic review and refinement
- OFSWQ to issue safety alerts and guidance notes to Queensland industry regarding structural collapse prevention during house moving operations
- Develop industry-wide Codes of Practice for house removal and restumping work
Full text
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