Wall collapse incidents in construction – could more be done?

The Australian construction industry has witnessed a disturbing trend in recent years - an increase in wall collapse incidents. These accidents have resulted in serious injuries and in some cases, fatalities. There are very few statistics available in other part of the world to support this problem, but we know it exists – and you have to ask the question – what are we doing about it.

Over a five-year period, there were 30 notified incidents involving injuries by wall collapses in the construction industry, according to WorkSafe, Australia. This is not a huge number compared to other causes such as falls from height, falling objects and tripping hazards, which is probably why such incidences are largely unreported or registered as something else, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence from brick layers that new walls can be dangerous and need to be supported.

Several factors can contribute to wall collapse, particularly high winds, which is why most brick layers will brace a wall using timber, until the mortar is properly cured. There are alternatives such as the Brick Bud System from Harris Brick. It’s inventor Carl Harris was inspired to create the system after being injured himself by a wall collapse. Click link to read more:

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