(Photo: RACQ LifeFlight)
November 9, 2017
A 33-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital after an industrial accident involving a seven tonne air compressor at Boondooma Dam.
The man was working on SunWater’s Boondooma Dam spillway repairs project, which is repairing damage caused by the 2011 and 2013 floods.
The work is being carried out to the west of the dam wall and well away from the dam’s recreational facilities.
An RACQ LifeFlight spokesman said the compressor pushed the worker on to a structure of reinforcement steel. This then rolled over him, causing leg injuries.
The Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight helicopter was despatched at 7:18am on Thursday to the dam.
The critical care doctor on board treated the patient until paramedics from the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) arrived.
The man, from Elliott Heads, was then flown to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition for further assessment.
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On Thursday afternoon SunWater, which operates Boondooma Dam, said site personnel responded immediately to the accident.
A second man was later taken to hospital with shock, and the families of the two men were notified.
The site has now been shut down while Workplace Health and Safety Queensland conduct an inquiry.
