The New South Wales government is taking a proactive step towards eliminating unsafe work on ladders, roofs and scaffold on building sites in a bid to better protect tradies and construction workers across the state.
Working from heights and confined spaces are part of the job for refrigeration and air conditioning technicians, as well as construction workers.
SafeWork acting executive director for compliance and dispute resolution, Meagan McCool said SafeWork officers will be visiting sites across Sydney and throughout regional NSW in order to promote safe practices on building sites.
“Falling from heights is the number one killer on NSW construction sites which is why the NSW Government is taking action to ensure sites are as safe as possible,” McCool said.
“Any accident on a construction site is one too many, and a death or serious injury can have a huge impact on a person’s family and community, which is why we are committed to driving the number of falls from heights incidents right down.”
SafeWork NSW officers can issue on-the-spot fines of up to $720 for individuals and $3,600 for businesses who fail to appropriately manage working at heights risks.
There is a range of ways businesses can ensure their workers stay safe, and encourage small businesses to take advantage of SafeWork’s free online safety workshops for supervisors, $500 small business safety rebate, and to access the many safety podcasts, checklists and toolbox talks that can help make safety simple and compliance easy.
Visit the SafeWork NSW website