The man who fell from the third storey of a Dickson building site earlier this month likely lived because he missed the concrete slab and landed on some springy steel reinforcing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Investigators suspect the flex in the metal bars provided just enough "give" to slightly cushion the man's fall and in doing so, quite possibly save his life.
The scaffolder, a 20-year-old man, fell 12 metres from the southern side of the site onto building materials on September 6.
ACT work safety commissioner Greg Jones said the worker was still in hospital but recovering well.
"[He is] no longer in intensive care," Mr Jones said.
"Tests are still being conducted, but [he] does not appear to have any brain injury or spinal damage, which is wonderful news."
Mr Jones previously described the man's survival as a miracle.
The scaffolder suffered fractures to his ankles, legs, arms and pelvis in the incident.
Construction work has now restarted at the Dickson building site.
WorkSafe ACT lifted a prohibition notice on the DKSN construction site on Friday, one week after the notice was put in place.
The prohibition notice was placed after audits carried out on the site following the fall identified safety breaches, including further fall-from-height risks, trip hazards, electrical issues and fire-safety issues.
The construction site had met all safety checks during previous inspections by WorkSafe officials.
The prohibition notice meant all building work at the site was ordered to stop until safety breaches were rectified.
Worksafe will continue its investigation, which will involve the principal contractor, Bloc, and the Hume-based company Alto scaffolding.
"As is customary practice, after the incident we seized documentation and records and we will be examining that as part of an ongoing investigation and talking to the companies involved," Mr Jones said.
Construction at the DKSN site is due to be completed in 2020.
The Challis Street complex, the former home of the Dickson motor registry, will include office space and apartments as well as restaurants and underground parking.
It's estimated the project will cost $160 million.