When a young apprentice fell through an unprotected void and was left paralysed, Kevin Jury was gutted, especially because he’d already quoted for the job.
The builder said no at the time. After the accident, they asked Kevin to install his Voideck system across the site immediately.
That moment changed everything.
Kevin developed Voideck, an engineered platform designed to cover internal voids during construction. Originally created for Aussie sites where unprotected voids can shut down a site, Voideck is lightweight, adjustable, and certified. It doesn’t block access like scaffolding, and it’s shaped to fit even the trickiest gaps.
Now Kevin’s brought it to New Zealand, where we have the same hazards, but far fewer rules.
“I’ve worked in the construction industry for decades,” he says, “and I see 50 to 70 unprotected internal voids weekly in the Wellington region alone.”
That’s 50 to 70 chances for someone to fall through the floor.
And when you consider that more than half of all workplace falls happen from under three metres, the risk is bigger and more avoidable than most crews realise.
The problem? Many builders just don’t see it as their responsibility.
Ailsa from the Key Skills team puts it bluntly:
“We’ve heard every excuse ‘it gets in the way,’ ‘it’s not our job,’ ‘there’s no budget for it.’ But if someone goes through that gap, it’s not the subby who’s liable. It’s the person in charge of the site.”
Kevin’s been pushing hard for change, both in how the industry sees void protection and how legislation is enforced. In Australia, WorkSafe can shut a site down on the spot. There’s less enforcement and urgency in NZ, even though the injury stats are just as grim.
“Health and safety should be enforced like road rules,” he says. “Break them? Get fined. That would lift standards fast and the revenue could pay for more inspectors.”
Voideck is now patented in New Zealand, Australia, the US, Canada, and the UK. It’s won innovation awards, it’s tough enough to handle tradie life, and it’s being rolled out nationwide via licensing.
Ailsa again:
“This isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the thing that stops someone from falling. If you’ve got a gap in the floor and no protection, you’re rolling the dice.”
We agree.
If you manage a site with internal voids, don’t wait for WorkSafe or worse, an injury to take it seriously. Lock it in now. Doing so will keep your crew safe, your site legal, and everyone going home in one piece.
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