Crane deck incident at Shell Cove construction site leaves resident stunned

Residents heard what they described as a bang the same volume as a car crash coming from the Ancora Shell Cove construction site about 1pm Tuesday.

"I heard the crash of scaffolding coming down," a nearby resident said. "It was like a car crash loud, metal on metal."

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After the initial bang, construction workers could be heard telling their colleagues on site to "get out of the way".

"I heard people shouting 'Oh no' so I went outside to have a look, and that's when I saw the green container hanging down the side of the scaffolding, and the crane holding up what was left," the resident said.

Strewn across the ground was scaffolding and construction materials that were held on the deck.

A spokesperson for developer Frasers Property Australia said as crews were lowering the platform from the building one end of the platform became dislodged.

"There was no risk to workers, members of the public or property, as traffic control procedures were in place to ensure no vehicles or pedestrians were in the vicinity during this process," the spokesperson said.

Damage to the surrounding scaffolding from the deck's slamming into the scaffolding could be seen from the street.

Later in the afternoon another crane had arrived to assist with bringing the bin back to safety.

"The platform has been safely lowered and removed from site," the Frasers spokesperson said.

"We apologise for the inconvenience of this temporary road closure."

Upon completion, Ancora Shell Cove is slated to have 64 luxury one, two and three-bedroom apartments across three buildings.

The close call at Shell Cove comes after a number of high-profile building incidents, and regulators cracking down on unsafe construction practices in the Illawarra.

A spokesperson for SafeWork NSW said the agency was investigating.

"SafeWork NSW is onsite and investigating a dangerous incident involving a crane in Shellharbour this afternoon. The investigation is ongoing and further comment is not available at this time."

As of 7pm, the road had re-opened to traffic.

"An independent scaffold engineer will be on-site in the morning to review and assess any further scaffold modifications required," the Frasers spokesperson said.

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