A 3.7 tonne concrete slab fell about 17 metres from a Braddon building site on Wednesday, crushing the toilet block of a nearby business and damaging cars.
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ACT Work Safety Commissioner Greg Jones said the incident, which occured about 11.15am at the site of the Yamaroshi apartment complex under construction at 32 Mort Street, could "very easily have been fatal".
Inspectors were expected to remain on site late into Wednesday evening, as they investigate how exactly the 3.8 metre x 2.5 metre precast panel became dislodged from its temporary support.
The owner of Braddon Smash Repairs, Jeff Badcoe, said the panel had crushed the toilet block at the back of his workshop.
The concrete panel also damaged three cars and pierced a concrete slab, narrowly avoiding an electricity cable.
The tub and canopy from a ute was crushed when the panel fell, with shattered glass windscreen glass throughout the small alley. Water could also be heard running from the damaged toilet block.
"It's lucky no one was in there, they'd be dead," Mr Badcoe said.
The panel sliced through the toilet building.
Mort Street city bound between Cooyong Street and Elouera Street was closed to allow emergency service vehicles working in the area. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.
WorkSafe ACT investigators set up a 20-metre exclusion zone around from the wall. Mr Badcoe's business, and the Officeworks store on the other side of the construction site, were both closed on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Jones said a structural engineer had been called in to assess the construction site and the fallen concrete panel before it could be removed.
Another concern was bonded absestos present in the toilet block. The material, which can carry serious health risks once disturbed, had since been dampened down and sealed and a licensed assessor was working to determine how best to safely remove it.
Mr Badcoe said the business had between 20 and 30 cars to work on each week and without full access to the workshop, the repairs would fall behind.
"We may as well not be here. We don't have a toilet block. What can we do?" he said.
Mr Badcoe said the panel fell from the top of the wall of pre-fabricated concrete panels next to the Braddon Smash Repairs workshops.
The props were still on the wall where the panel was located before it fell.
Mr Jones said the panel had been temporarily installed, waiting on permanent fixing.
Mr Badcoe said he had been told it could take up to two weeks for the concrete block to be lifted out of the small alley next to the smash repairer.
Mr Badcoe said the incident could also speed up the departure of the business from Braddon, but he would need to wait for a full assessment of what happened.
The smash repair workshop has been on the site since the 1950s.
Developer Bulum Group and builders Chase Building Group are behind the Yamaroshi project.
Bulum Group director Nik Bulum said he first learned of the incident after reading about it on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, and did not have any further information.
Mr Bulum referred further questions to Chase Building Group, which declined to comment.
ACT CFMEU secretary Jason O'Mara would not comment on the specifics of the incident while the Work Safe investigation was ongoing, but said construction sites needed strict processes for managing pre-fabricated concrete.
"Pre-cast concrete elements are one of the most dangerous parts of the construction stage," Mr O'Mara said.
The WorkSafe investigation is expected to continue for the rest of the week, but Mr Jones flagged further action was likely once it was complete.
