FAULTY TIMBER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22901, 2 December 1937, Page 16

FAULTY TIMBER

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE KOWHAI BRIDGE FATALITY J EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST'J§| COMMENT MADE BY CORONER# [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION*] CHRISTCH UItCH, Wednesday, J A close inquiry into the methods of . the Railway Department in construct- >: ing and in supervising the erection of | scaffolding was made during an inquest to-day into the death at Kowhai ' Bridge on September 9 of a-Railway Department employee, Mr. John Owen Macer, through the collapse of "a scaffolding being used in bridge construetion. Mr. Maccr, with three other employees of the department, who were all injured, fell 39ft. oil to i- the shingle of the river bed. • "The only comment I would make ig the one I made in a quarry case; that is, that it might be as well if the Crown were made subject to the provisions of the Scaffolding Act just as any other employer of labour in New Zealand," said the coroner, Mr. E. 0. Lovvev. His verdict was that Mr. Macer had died from internal haemor- S rhage following severe bodily injuries suffered in falling 39ft. from scaffolding at the Kowhai River bridge. Sub-Inspector D. A. Mac Lean. con- k* ducted the case for the police. Mr. A. W. Brown appeared for the Railway Department, Mr.-K. G. Archer for the relatives and for the .Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and Mr. N. H. Graham (inspector of scaffolding) for the Department of Labour. Cause of the Accident The man in charge of the bridge strengthening work at Xowhai River, Henry John Douglas Barnard, a leading carpenter of the Railway Department, said in evidence that he had been with several other men on top of the staging of a bridge-tower when he heard a crack and felt his - feet slipping. He hooked an arm over a tierod and hung on. One man clutched a. ladder, but the others fell to the shingle river bed some 39ft. below,.Some planks and tools fell with them. Witness said he had no special training in the construction of scaffolds. He had picked up his knowledge as he went. He did not know until after the accident that the timber of the bearer - had flaws in it. Witness said he thought the accident had been caused solely by the breaking of one bearer or beam. Jt was very rare to get a short break in that type of timber. Flaws in the Timber William Lawrence Stoddard, one of the men who fell from the scaffolding, said he had seen sun-shakes (flaws) in the beam before the accident. "A competent scaffolder could and should have discovered that the timber Was cross-grained," said Noel Barry Graham, inspector of scaffolding, in referring to the timbers of the scaffolding, "if sun-shakes (flaws)- were risible." Witness said he had seen the . timber a few days after the accident and flaws were then visible, but ha could not possibly say how long they had been showing. As he saw the scaffolding he would not have passed it. The timber was not suitable.

George Archibald Simmers, who was assistant district engineer to the department in Christchurch at the time of the accident, Said he had tested the timbers of the scaffolding for > attain and stress. From comparisons with American official figures he would say that the scaffolding had been stronger than the average. It had a safety factor of 3.9, which meant that it wohld carry almost four times the tested weight (five men, plant iahd tools) before breaking. Detection of Cross-graining The timber, Oregon pine, was. ideal for the purpose. A weak bearer or beam, however, had been cross-grained, which was most unusual. This would have caused the accident. The department had since used still stronger materials to restore the men's confidence. The saw-cuts which would hide the flaws had been removed by planing. The fact that experienced men, both in Christchurch and at the bridge the timbers were handled often), Old not detect it was proof that the crossgraining was not discernible; "The Amalgamated Society thinks that the facts suggest that this is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs," Mr. Archer told the. coroner, "that there was rather an unreasonable proportion of unskilled men ana rather a lack of supervision.'' The department was naturally upset, said Mr. Brown, There was no disputes however, that undetected cross-graiu-ing in one of the beams had caused the collapse of the scaffolding. Iw 1 ceased and other experienced niWi however, had handled the actual and Stoddard, who had seen tne had yet climbed up on to the scanoiaing.