Two years ago, the Canberran construction industry was shattered by two consecutive workplace fatalities.
In response, WorkSafe ACT implemented a strategy aiming to improve the conditions on building sites, and to reduce the number of unsafe worksite practices conducted in Canberra, but the issue is yet to be resolved.
In the two years since these shocking deaths, WorkSafe ACT say Workplace Health and Safety breaches are still being observed, and there seems to be little change from the industry.
Since 2020, WorkSafe ACT have conducted 1,363 workplace visits and issued 1,655 improvement notices, 385 prohibition notices, and 92 infringement notices.
ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner, Jacqui Agius, said she believes Operation Safe Prospect is working, but the problem lies with the number of repeat offenders in Canberra.
Ms Agius said she’s unsure if safety breaches have increased since the two tragic worksite deaths in early 2020 because of a lack of data. But they’re finding continual low-risk breaches that “can result in a higher breach, so it’s very important we address them”.
Even just last week during WorkSafe ACT’s latest campaign in Whitlam, Ms Agius said the situation has not improved.
“Usually if the builders are a member of Master Builders ACT (MBA) or the Housing Industry Association (HIA) they’re supported with safety systems, and they are pretty good. We are constantly in communication with the MBA and other industry groups,” she said.
“Of course, we always need to do better, and of course we need to make sure people are not breaching, but it’s the repeat offenders that are the issue now, and we need to ramp up the processes.
“The next steps have the potential to move to investigate and refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions for these repeat offenders.”
-ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner Jacqui Agius
When it comes to Canberrans’ role in keeping the construction industry safe, Ms Agius has some requests for the community to help reduce breaches in the sector.
“We know that choosing a builder is one of the most important decisions a person would make in their lives. When we choose a builder, we ask about what the standard of building will be, what the plans for the house are going to look like and the aesthetic, but we don’t ask what their safety records are,” she said.
“So, we’re calling on the Canberra community to ask their builders ‘what are you doing about safety’, because no one wants to live in a house that has had a worker seriously injured, or a fatality. We are calling on the community and will be providing fact sheets on our website with questions to ask, and what to look for.
“I am heartened, though, by the responses our inspectors are receiving. When they go out to construction sites, our inspectors now have workers saying to them ‘we see you out here all the time, it’s great to have you’ and they’re being welcomed onto sites. It’s very different to when we first started.”
Ms Agius said there are a few easy red flags on a worksite that the community can keep an eye out for:
- Does the site look neat and tidy?
- Is there fencing around the property?
- Is the fencing secure?
- Is there a sign on the front of the property with the builder’s contact details?
- Is there a toilet onsite?
- Are there facilities for handwashing?
- Are there any obvious fall risks?
Next month, WorkSafe ACT will be launching a residential construction strategy, which will include a breakdown of issued notices and their locations from workplace visits.
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