08:08 pm, Tuesday 23 February, 2010

The widow of a construction worker who died of skin cancer has been awarded a landmark six-figure payout.

Rohann Crotty used to work as a building sites.

Mr Crotty, 43 years old, died in July last year at his home. He was survived by his 39-year-old wife Jo-Anne and four young sons – all aged under six.

The record six-figure claim is a wake up call to the industry and employers to take sun protection more seriously.

Mrs Crotty, who now has sole responsibility of taking care of his five young boys, is grateful for the payout, but she says that no amount of compensation could ever replace the life of her husband.

“I don’t think enough is being done for sun awareness,” she said.

“I would like to carry on his legacy by organising a campaign bus that goes around to work sites and spreads the message about UV protection.”

CFMEU Workplace Health and Safety Manager Andrew Ramsay said the WorkCover claim was a milestone since there had been few awards of this extent for melanoma in Queensland.

“There is a real difference in the approaches between the civil construction and the building construction industries,” Mr Ramsay said.

“The guys who work on the roads wear long sleeves and heaps of protection but that is not happening so much on the building sites.

“We are trying to change this and what befelled Rohan highlights the urgency with which this needs to happen.”

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