Workplace, Health & Safety
A word from the safety regulator
Construction blitz on falls from heights SafeWork NSW targets falls from heights risks
F
alls from heights are the No.1 killer on construction sites in NSW. Too many tradies are killed or seriously injured on construction sites, with devastating effects on families, friends and co-workers. The number of falls from heights incidents reported to SafeWork NSW tripled from 2013 to 2016, with most incidents involving workers in the construction industry. In one such incident, a carpenter fell four metres from scaffolding and was impaled, in another case an electrician fell three metres from a ladder and died from head injuries. More recently, a first year apprentice roofer died after falling six metres through polycarbonate roof sheeting. In response to the alarming rise in falls related incidents, last year SafeWork NSW introduced new on-the spot penalties where employers can be fined up to $3,600 for failing to control the risk of falls adequately. NSW Minister for
Innovation and Better Regulation, Matt Kean, also launched a 12-month Falls from Heights blitz on construction sites.
adequately supported or tied to the building and 28 per cent had inadequate access/egress to scaffold decks.
SafeWork NSW Inspectors will target suburbs state-wide where there is a high concentration of building work with an aim to flooding the area with pro-active inspections, securing compliance where necessary and educating employers about how to protect workers from falls.
With regards to working on roofs or floors, more 40 per cent of sites had inadequate edge protection and more than a quarter did not have a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for high-risk construction work.
Blitz findings so far Inspectors have already visited over 460 sites since November last year. The visits revealed that more than 50 per cent of sites had unsafe scaffolding, more than 40 per cent didn’t have proper edge protection, and nearly 25 per cent didn’t provide an adequate site safety induction to their workers. Additionally, more than 50 per cent of the scaffolds were unsafe due to missing ledgers, planks or hop ups, 19 per cent were not
When conducting inspections, SafeWork has a range of options available to secure work health and safety compliance including issuing Improvement Notices, Prohibition Notices and Penalties (on-the-spot fines). Penalty Notices are issued based on the seriousness of the risk observed and/or the duty holders’ safety and compliance history. These tools allow inspectors to implement a proportionate response to the level of risk or non-compliance observed. In alignment with industry sentiment, Safework NSW aims to ensure a level playing field for those who are doing the right thing. Issue Two | April/May 2018 | MBA NSW
29
