An air conditioning contractor died yesterday carrying out routine maintenance work at the James Cook University (JCU) campus in far north Queensland.
The man in his 40s suffered critical head injuries after falling 7 metres at JCU's Smithfield campus in Cairns.
Paramedics attended the scene Monday morning and tried to revive him but were unable to save him.
Workplace Health and Safety confirmed an investigation is underway.
The fatality highlights safe access issues that have plagued the HVACR industry for many years.
Earlier this year the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) prepared a report highlighting the problem.
It found contractors have trouble accessing plant on roofs and in roof spaces (e.g., condensing units), in ceiling spaces (e.g,. fan coil units) and in plantrooms and plant cupboards.
The plant is often (commonly) installed in inaccessible positions increasing risks for the service person undertaking maintenance.
"Working at heights presents fall hazards and appropriate safety solutions are often not provided or the solutions that are provided are inadequate and not used correctly," the report said.
Access for HVACR maintenance must be provided as part of the National Construction Code (NCC) building certification process, making it a legal imperative although this is not understood by all stakeholders in the building supply chain, AIRAH said.
The report attributes access problems to poor planning and poor integration of HVACR plant and equipment into the overall building design process.
"Rooftop mounted equipment that is also located too close to the roof edge for example, or multiple rooftop units installed independently and without consideration of each other leading to erratic and hazardous electrical wiring and refrigerant piping distribution networks on the roof," it said.