WorkSafe ACT has today shut down 11 building sites belonging to one local construction company.
In a statement, the independent regulator said inspectors attended 13 residential construction sites belonging to the company, which has not yet been named. Eleven of the sites have been issued with various notices, including prohibition and improvement notices, with inspectors finding serious safety breaches at the sites.
The statement said WorkSafe inspectors found more than 50 offences across the 11 building sites, all of which are being investigated further by WorkSafe ACT.
Acting Work Health and Safety Commissioner Amanda Gray said the company responsible has now been prohibited from carrying out all construction work in the ACT until they implement a safe work system and fix the identified safety issues.
“Our inspectors found too many issues at the 11 construction sites, including fall from height risks, site security, lack of housekeeping and electrical safety issues,” Ms Grey said.
“This lack of safety is unacceptable. Every worker has the right to work in a safe environment and go home to their families at the end of the day.
“We are committed to improving safety standards in residential construction to help prevent workplace deaths and injuries in the ACT.”
Workplace Safety Minister Suzanne Orr outlined her expectations for the now-independent WorkSafe ACT in April, which included improving the safety culture and performance within the Territory’s construction industry.
The statement said WorkSafe ACT has directed the company to rectify these issues and improve safety across all of their work sites, and that no further information is available at this time.
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