A photograph taken from the water shows the area missing from the bridge after the span crash.
For those who were alive at the time, the collapse of a span on the West Gate Bridge, at 11.50am on October 15, 1970, remains seared into their consciousness. It has become like the moon landing or the assassination of president Kennedy. People remember where they were when they heard the news, and what they were doing.
For all Australians, this was a profoundly shocking event. For those who lost loved ones, it was a tragedy the rest of us can barely imagine.
The collapse of the bridge was the worst industrial accident in Australian history. Thirty-five workers were killed on that day, either from the 58-metre fall into the Yarra, or through being struck by fragments, or in the ensuing fire.
Workmen search for survivors in the rubble after the collapse of the West Gate Bridge on October 15, 1970.
The fatal error that led to the collapse happened because a 114-millimetre gap between two half-girders on span 10-11 at the partly constructed bridge's western end had to be closed. It was decided that 10 eight-tonne concrete blocks should be used as ballast, to weigh down the higher of the two girders. That caused the span to buckle.
The horror of these events is vividly recalled in the report of the Royal Commission into the Failure of the West Gate Bridge. On the morning of October 15, 1970, Gerit Hardenberg, an executive with the contractor, World Services and Construction, received a phone call from Jack Hindshaw, a consultant engineer. Hindshaw was inspecting the span with his colleagues, Peter Crossley and William Tracy, and was worried by what he saw:
"The last thing Hardenberg heard on the phone was as if Hindshaw was thinking out aloud: 'Should I get the bods out?' Almost immediately after that conversation, at 11.50am, span 10-11 collapsed. Among those who died were Hindshaw, Crossley and Tracy. The whole 2000-ton mass plummeted into the Yarra with an explosion of gas, dust and mangled metal."
Rescue workers continue to work their way through the twisted metal.
The distinctive curved shape of the completed West Gate Bridge has since become an iconic part of the city's skyline. But the sacrifice of those who died 45 years ago today, and the heroism of their surviving co-workers, is an indelible part of the bridge's history.
After the collapse, those who were able helped emergency services teams to sift through the debris. They recovered the bodies of the dead, rescued other survivors and comforted grieving family members.
Never has the instinctive solidarity of the labour movement been more evident than on that day: touch one, touch all.
Since that terrible time, much has changed in official attitudes to occupational health and safety in Australia. But it is not only because laws have changed.
It is, above all, because Australia's construction workers, acting through their union representatives, are determined that there must never be another disaster of this kind. That is why union representatives claim the right to enter and inspect construction sites, to ensure that there is strict compliance with safety standards.
Some occupations will always be more dangerous than others, and construction work remains one of the most dangerous. Melburnians were reminded of that only two months ago, when a 50-metre crane collapsed on the Crema construction site in Southbank. The collapse could have caused the deaths not only of workers but of people in the street as well. Amazingly, there were no deaths and only two workers were injured. But the incident is a reminder of the risks inherent in construction work.
Measured by fatalities per year, construction ranks as the third most dangerous occupation after transport and agriculture. As of October 12, 126 Australians have been killed at work this year. All except 38 of these were in the three occupational categories I have mentioned, and 16 were construction workers.
The good news is that workplace fatalities are declining – though too slowly. In the 10 years to 2013, 401 Australian construction workers died from injuries sustained at work. The lowest number recorded in that decade was in 2013, when 19 workers died. That is less than half of the highest number recorded in the decade, which was 46 fatalities in 2007.
But the steady decline in the number of workplace deaths would not have been achieved without the vigilance of those who represent Australia's workers. On this anniversary, while acknowledging the sacrifice of those who lost their lives, we should also express our gratitude to all who toil to keep the workplaces of Australia safe.
Victorian Labor Senator Kim Carr is the opposition spokesman for higher education, research, innovation and industry.
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