Andy Jones suffered fatal chest injuries after the 37-year-old was pinned against a fence by the 2.4m tower at an under-15s match at Mitchelton in Brisbane's inner north on July 25, 2021.
Chris Sweedman's company Mobile Scaffolds Queensland was forced into liquidation in February 2024 before being fined $400,000 by Queensland's Office of Industrial Relations after the tragic incident.
Mr Sweedman was asked by Corinne Leach, counsel for Mr Jones' widow Rhianne, whether he conducted a risk assessment under pre-determined criteria in a checklist format, as required by his own company handbook.
"I just performed a risk assessment in my head," Mr Sweedman replied.
The manufacturer of the scaffolding equipment, Oldfields Access, had also warned in its own instruction manual that extra precautions were necessary to secure the equipment in windy or gusty conditions.
Asked to elaborate on that statement, Oldfields replied in a written submission to the court that the statement was a warning.
"In practical terms the statement is a warning to a scaffolder that ordinary setup measures may not be sufficient in adverse weather/site conditions and that additional site-specific precautions are required," Oldfields said.
Earlier, the court heard a wind gust nearly strong enough to "blow you off your feet" struck when the scaffolding tower fell on Mr Jones, who was watching his son play soccer.
Ms Jones and extended family members gathered at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday for the start of the three-day inquest into the death, heard by coroner Megan Fairweather.
Multiple club volunteers and officials told the inquest it was the windiest playing conditions they had seen at the ground.
Volunteer coach Jason Gouge said a severe wind gust caught everyone off guard about 12.25pm.
"It was nearly enough to blow you off your feet, or push you forward if you were light on your feet, and it was strong enough to blow over the scaffolding," Mr Gouge said.
Michael Mills was watching his son play when the wind began to make a howling noise, the coroner heard.
"I think I called out 'watch out' ... Andy was probably about two metres to our left, in the centre of the scaffolding," he said.
The local league had provisions to call off games in the event of thunderstorm activity, excessive heat and humidity but not wind, the court was told.
Witnesses told the inquest the scaffolding tower had been placed in a thoroughfare at the ground, with no restrictions on pedestrian access.
Mr Sweedman said he thought mobile scaffolds should be banned from public use and restricted to work sites.
The scaffolding had been erected by Mobile Scaffolds Queensland on April 13 2021 to replace another that had been covered with graffiti, the coroner heard.
Football Queensland, the governing body that oversaw Mitchelton Football Club, had directed that scaffolding be erected at all games for filming and live-streaming games.
