West Gate Bridge – Managing Occupational Health and Safety ...

West Gate Bridge – 

Narre Warren Cranbourne Road Rail Bridge 

Managing Occupational Health 

Urban or Regional Infrastructure 

(projects and Safety over $10 Challenges 

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Workplace Practice (Occupational Health and Safety) 


Managing Occupational Health and Safety Challenges 


Raymond Rossi Grad.Dip OHS






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OHS CHALLENGE 

Working in a difficult and restricted work 

environment when placing bollards from the 

rear of a moving truck on the 

West Gate Bridge






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Occupational Health and Safety Innovation 

Truck Mounted Fall Restraint System for 

placing bollards from the rear of a moving 

truck






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It needed all three to work together; 

Engineering – to build it 

Safety – enforcement –regulations 

People – ideas, innovation and attitude






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Who we are ? 

SPRAYLINE – provides high quality spray 

sealing and road marking services in the south 

eastern and south central Australian markets. It 

has 5 strategically located Victorian delivery 

centres and has the flexibility to quickly move to 

different locations on demand.






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Who we are ? 

ROAD SERVICES –Provides high quality road and 

bridge construction and maintenance services. It has 24 

strategically located service centres around Victoria 

providing the flexibility to keep the arterial road network 

safe and reliable for our communities across the state.






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A Little History 

About The bridge






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The Westgate Bridge 

•The West Gate Bridge is one of Australia's biggest cable-stayed girder bridges. 

•850 metre length 

•Joins Melbourne's western suburbs to the CBD.

History of the 

bridge 

The Westgate Bridge How It Began 






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As Melbourne developed it become apparent that 

a crossing was needed between Port Melbourne 

and Williamstown . 

•1962 the Government through the Country 

Roads Board carried out sub surface 

investigations. 

•1964 committee formed to establish whether it 

should be made in the way of a bridge. 

•1966 Borings began.






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bridge 

The Westgate Bridge How It Began 

•Construction commenced April 1968. 

•Hoped the bridge would be completed by 

December 1970. 

•Due to disputes and strikes this didn’t happen.






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bridge 

•2 nd June 1970 one span of the Milford Haven 

Bridge in Wales collapsed. 

•This bridge did have some similar features to 

the West Gate Bridge. 

•Following this certain steps were taken to 

strengthen the steel spans.


bridge 

The Disaster 

15 th October 1970 11.50am span of the West 

Gate Bridge known as span 10-11 western side 

of the Yarra suddenly collapsed. 

At the time men were working on the span and 

others near and some in the huts below. 

35 were killed many others injured. There 

names are on a memorial situated at the 

bottom of the bridge. 






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Workplace Practice (Occupational Health and Safety)






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Bridge Opens 

15 th November 

1978






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CURRENT WORKS 

•400-strong army now working inside the bridge to 

strengthen it in readiness to carry five lanes each 

way by early next year. 

•The 2.6 km long cable-stayed box girder bridge is 

twice as long as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

•Today the bridge carries 165,000 vehicles per day 

and is an iconic structure in Melbourne's western 

skyline.






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CURRENT WORKS 

•400,000 new tension control bolts being installed. 

•1,280 tonnes of steel being added. 

•11,000sqmtrs of Carbon Fibre being applied. 

•The Bridge is the second most valuable State asset 

after the State Gallery of Victoria. 

•It is 850 metres long.






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How Do We Contribute To This Project 

•In order for workers to access the bridge to carry 

out these works the SprayLine/Road Services team 

provides the services of installing and dismantling 

lane closures on a daily basis sometimes 24hr per 

day.

Journey across the bridge 






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We provide traffic management






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Works about to begin 






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What Was The Risk ? 

Falls from even moderate heights can 

leave workers with permanent and 

debilitating injuries. 

The risk of serious injury or death from a 

fall increases significantly if you are 

working at heights over two metres.






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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The problem






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Concept






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Concept






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Restraint 

system






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Socket built 

for easy 

removal






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Grab handles






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High tensile 

wire

The solution 






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The risks






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The risks






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VicRoads Safety 

Award Winners 

The Team 

Vic Catania, Michael Antonio, Deen Bauer, Mick Bitsaya, Joseph Catania, Brett Collins, 

Peter Collins, Robert Loveridge, 

Colin McIntosh, Drew Namok, Anthony Zinowczky 

Gary Liddle (Chief Executive) 

Special thanks to Civiqip Safety for specialist advice on design and development.






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Thank-You

West Gate Bridge – Managing Occupational Health and Safety ...

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