A 16-year-old boy who died after being crushed in a workplace accident has been remembered for his infectious smile and laugh.
Hamiora Sharland suffered fatal injuries on Thursday morning while working at TLC Surface Treatment in Welshpool, Perth.
The boy, who was a trainee at the company, was preparing a steel beam for sandblasting when the accident happened, The West Australian reported.
Hamiora was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, but doctors were unable to save his life.
Worksafe is investigating his death.
A friend told the newspaper that Hamiora was ‘always smiling and laughing’.
The mate said he had ‘nothing bad to say about him’ and that he ‘always was a people person’.
Local MP Zaneta Mascarenhas paid tribute to young Hamiora.
‘Everyone deserves to go home safe from work, especially a child,’ she said.
‘RIP Hamiora Sharland. Only 16 years old.
‘Sending my condolences to Hamiora’s family. I cannot fathom how heartbreaking this will be for his mum, family and friends.’
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union WA assistant secretary Glenn McLaren said it was one of the youngest deaths on a worksite that he could remember.
‘It’s absolutely horrific,’ he said.
‘Any loss of life is horrific, but to come to work this morning and find out that a 16-year-old has lost his life in a workplace tragedy is absolutely heart-wrenching.’
TLC Surface Treatment is a sandblasting business.
It marks the fourth workplace fatality in Western Australia this month.
A crane operator, 62, died on Kintail Road in Applecross after falling while climbing up a ladder on June 2.
Michael Jurman died on the same day while working at Woodside’s North Rankin Complex on the Pilbara coast.
Kieren McDowall was killed at a Pilbara iron ore site owned by miner Mineral Resources on Monday.
He had been working as part of the broader Onslow Iron project.