‘Someone could have died’: Calls for change after walls collapse at Auckland building site

Wright said she was shocked by the lack of concern from staff. She called the council and WorkSafe and took photos and video of the aftermath.

She also claimed that workers were on site late at night before construction of the walls began, working with headlamps in the dark and without safety equipment.

“They were working there at 9 p.m.,” she said. “There were no harnesses, no reflective vests … no helmets.

“I think it was about encouraging people, cutting corners and getting it done.”

Auckland Council site surveyor Jeff Fahrensohn said a building inspector carried out an initial site assessment on the day of the incident before WorkSafe took over.

WorkSafe said the incident was caused by “strong winds” and that “not all hazards on site had been identified and managed”.

A no-disturb order was immediately issued, preventing workers from entering the site until it was deemed structurally safe on May 21.

However, Wright and other area residents said Herald The very next business day they saw builders on the construction site.

WorkSafe said developer Farringdon Investments Holdings later completed its own safety review and changed the way the blockwork walls were installed.

The photos show that the bricks have not yet been filled with concrete, which increases stability.

If there are no reinforcements, this operation is usually performed every 1.5 m.

During a telephone conversation with HeraldFarringdon Investments director Paul Huang insisted the incident was simply “bad luck” and that building cinder block walls up to 3m high was common practice.

Andrew Moore, commercial director of Victoria Park-based CMP Construction, disagreed, calling it “madness”.

“There’s absolutely no strength to this wall. It’s just a big sail,” Moore said. The only benefit to pouring concrete later, he said, would be “saving pennies.”

“It’s very fortunate that no one was injured. Someone could have died.”

Current building regulations do not require pouring concrete into block walls at specific heights.

Many in the construction industry – like Moore – want to change that.

“Someone is going to die someday,” Moore said.

“It is disturbing to see construction techniques like this, considering it happens multiple times a year.

“I believe that building regulations need to be changed and appropriate regulations need to be introduced.”

Housing Minister Chris Penk said in a statement that

“considering the occupational regulations governing craft professions to ensure that these regulations provide safe and high-quality work.”

The council said it would carry out a further inspection of the Farringdon St development once the work is complete to check compliance with planning permission.

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