Safety push after seaman's death
The heartbroken family of a man killed in a shipping accident off WA have broken their four-year silence to call for a stronger focus on workplace safety so another family never has to endure a similar tragedy.
Trevor Ronald Moore, 43, died on December 24, 2008, on the Karratha Spirit when a heavy polypropylene line hit him as crew disconnected the oil storage tanker from its mooring buoy to escape a cyclone.
His former wife Anita and daughter Tahlia, 20, say they do not want the father of two's death to be in vain.
Speaking from her home in Old Junee, NSW, Ms Moore said life after the death had been "unfathomable" and "torturous" for Tahlia and her brother Justin, 21. "Our lives have changed irrevocably," she said.
"We've been living on shifting sand. He was the light of Justin and Tahlia's lives and everyone who knew him truly knew what a great bloke he was."
Mr Moore's loss weighs most heavily on the family at Christmas.
"It's a macabre feeling as Christmas Day marks the anniversary because we were not contacted until we were in the room with the Christmas tree . . . it was as if the lights went out," Ms Moore said.
She and Tahlia said Mr Moore was a larrikin who loved practical jokes and lived for his children.
"He was a humble, kind, funny person, he had a very wicked sense of humour and called himself clever Trevor and he was always right," Ms Moore said.
"Trev was a safety-first kind of guy. He often cited the importance of getting it right or someone else's life could be at risk."
Coroner Peter Collins found a "litany of deficiencies and errors" in preparing for and disconnecting the Karratha Spirit from the buoy.
He found its crew "had little or no experience" in disconnecting.
Mr Moore was described at the inquest as a reliable, responsible and competent seaman who had worked in shipping since he was 16.
The National Offshore Petroleum Authority has given a brief of evidence to Federal prosecutors.
Mr Moore's family believe his death was preventable. "Everyone has the right to expect safety on the job and to come home," Ms Moore said.
Tahlia Moore said they would like a prosecution so someone could be made accountable and fully aware of the huge impact on her family.
