All 60 major road signs in the Melbourne metro area will be audited following Tuesday's sign collapse, which saw a huge metal roadsign fall and crush a passing car.
The overhead sign on the Tullamarine Freeway toppled off the gantry during peak hour and onto passing traffic, landing on top of the unfortunate car, although thankfully the occupant survived.
The sign and its gantry – which also fell – was only installed 12 months ago as part of a widening project on the road, one of Melbourne's busiest. It was one of many installed at the time.
The sign was four by five metres in size, and secured by a combination of bolts and welding. While an investigation is underway all other six similar signs installed at the same time have been inspected and pronounced safe.
Road signage on major Melbourne roads is inspected visually every day, and checked every six months.
However the CEO of Weld Australia Geoff Crittendon pointed the finger at cheap imported steel and lax welding standards, saying lives were at risk.