Construction safety in Australia

Understanding construction safety is critical as a builder or trade in Australia. Make sure you’re on top of regulations and procedures. Below are some useful tips.

Why does safety matter?

Construction often creates high risks, so people need to be careful to keep themselves, other and property from harm. Injury and sometimes death is too common. It ruins lives, delays projects and can end in large fines. Likewise, major damage to property can occur leading to finanical loss and legal action.

In Australia, safety is regulated by state bodies with support from SafeWork Australia. Safe work bodies undertake site inspections and where necessary issue fines for safe work breaches.

What construction businesses need to do

Training and professionals

Anyone responsible for or walking onto a construction site must take care in assessing potential risks and mitigating those risks. To do that they need training, most of which will have been during TAFE and with CPD. Some safety is covered when studying for a general construction license (White Card), which everyone needs before they can work on a building site.

In larger scale, higher risk and more complex cases, a professional is recommended. There are thousands or Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) or Work Health and Safety (WHS) professionals in Australia available to consult to the construction industry. Larger businesses and projects often need full time safety officers to ensure safety and compliance.

Process and documents

Good process and documents are needed. Whenever there is High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) it’s regulated that a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is required for each specific project or relevant piece of work. Even when there isn’t HRCW, the Person Conducting Business or Undertaking (PCBU) will often adopt a SWMS to stay on the safe side.

SafetyCheck provides over 40 pre-filled SWMS templates, however these must be customised to the business and project.

A Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is similar to a SWMS, but is slightly simpler. Some people call this a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).

Toolbox talks are a very useful meeting to have on most worksites. They are a short ‘huddle’ where all relevant workers discuss the site, site risks and any changes. In many cases they should be done daily, depending on the type of worksite, and should be documented.

Site check-ins are also good process. They record who’s been on site and can make sure those people have the right licenses and are made aware of site risks.

Vehicle or machinery pre-starts are essential in many situations. They are a simple checklist to ensure the vehicle is fit for use and hasn’t been damaged or require maintenance.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The correct PPE is critical to safety on a construction site. From hand, head and foot protection to harnesses and masks, make sure you have the right gear for the job and workers know how to use it.