Police confirmed about 3pm that Mr Cassaniti died at the scene. CFMEU NSW state secretary Darren Greenfield said that Mr Cassaniti's family was devastated. Christopher Cassaniti, 18, died at the scene of the collapse. Credit:Facebook "To lose their 18-year-old son, new to this industry, early in his working life, and to lose his life doing a job, it's atrocious," he said. Mr Cassaniti, a former student of Gilroy Catholic College at Castle Hill, celebrated his 18th birthday last week.

His mother had surprised him at work with a cake in the lunch shed. Friends on social media said Mr Cassaniti was "full of positivity, always smiling, always seeing the best in everyone". Mr Cassaniti died before rescue workers could get to him under the debris. Credit:Facebook A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said seven fire crews, including a crew that specialises in structural collapses, rushed to the apartment development known as "nbh at Lachlan's Line". NSW Ambulance acting Superintendent Steve Vaughan said that paramedics arrived to "an absolutely chaotic and emotionally charged scene ... it took some time to ascertain what had happened".

"The injuries were significant," he said. He said the rescue workers had difficulty reaching Mr Cassaniti. One worker has been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition. Credit:Peter Braig "There was a significant amount of scaffolding on the scene so it was navigating safely around and through that to be able to get access to that patient." Acting Superintendent Vaughan said the ambulance service's chaplain was on site supporting the man's family members and workers.

He said the scene was chaotic because of "the nature of the debris, the location where it occurred and the emotional state of all those who wanted to help their colleagues". One witness, Albert Muscat, said: "I heard people in there screaming, 'Help us, help us, help us' and screaming obviously in pain with all the metal that had fallen on them." Construction workers wait at the site. Police have set up a crime scene. Credit:Wolter Peeters "We started cutting with the grinders and hammers until, about 20 minutes later, we couldn’t hear screaming any more; that’s when the supervisors told us to move out." Footage from the construction site showed workers combing through the debris and comforting each other.

A NSW Police media spokeswoman said police at one stage had to "disperse the crowd" of workers at the site. One police officer drew capsicum spray, but did not fire it, the spokeswoman said. "It was quite a hostile and emotional crowd down there," she said. The scaffolding collapse at Macquarie Park. Credit:Nine News A SafeWork NSW spokeswoman said that numerous tradesmen were working on the lower deck of scaffolding at the site when it collapsed. "While the cause of the collapse is unknown at this stage, SafeWork is employing significant resources to fully understand how this tragic incident occurred," the spokeswoman said.

"It is expected that the investigation could take some time, while SafeWork inspectors work through the complexities of the incident." Police set up a crime scene and a report will be prepared for the coroner. The rescue operation at the construction site. Credit:Peter Braig There were 15 fatal incidents in the construction industry across NSW in 2017. A spokesman for the building's construction company, Ganellen, said the collapse was tragic and "our deepest sympathies go to the young man's family, co-workers and friends".

"This is clearly a distressing time for everyone on site and we are mobilising support services to look after those who have been affected." "The welfare of our thousands of employees and subcontractors has always been a priority for Ganellen so this is devastating news." The apartment development will ultimately consist of 900 apartments across six towers. It is being developed by Chinese-backed residential developer Greenland Australia. A spokeswoman for the company said in a statement: "The welfare of the site’s employees and subcontractors remains a priority, and we are currently assisting police and emergency authorities at the site to determine the cause of this tragic event." The company responsible for erecting the scaffolding at the Epping Road site was Synergy Scaffolding Services, based in western Sydney.