01:31 pm, Monday 28 November, 2011
A pre-Christmas blitz of domestic housing sites will be conducted by WorkSafe construction inspectors in Melbourne’s west from 8 December.
Worksafe’s Construction and Utilities Division acting Director, Allan Beacom said that the pre-Christmas blitz is the first of a series of statewide campaign visits concentrating on basic safety issues.
“At this time of the year there is an extraordinary amount of work going on which has to be completed before the long Christmas break or to meet contractual requirements,” said Mr. Beacom.
“Inspectors will be issuing safety improvement and prohibition notices during this campaign and if they’re not dealt with, the risk of prosecution, whether or not someone is hurt, is high.”
According to a news release by WorkSafe Victoria, 425 claims were recorded in the domestic construction sector during the last financial year with treatment and rehabilitation costs exceeding/nearly $5.5 million. This means that employers in the domestic construction sector pay on average 1.908% of their total remuneration compared with the state average of 1.338% for all employers.
WorkSafe’s latest enforcement campaign features the absence of fall protection on a domestic housing site.
Mr. Beacom encourages employers to observe workplace safety and to deal with safety issues even before an inspector goes into the site or an accident happens.
“Although Victoria is Australia’s safest state with a record low number of work-related injuries, more can be done. The good news is that businesses and individuals can make a difference by taking a few simple measures.”
Report by
Haydee - Do you have an OHS News Story -
Let us know
WorkSafe Victoria has warned the housing construction industry in the northern suburbs of Melbourne to ensure that their worksites and work practices are compliant because inspectors will be visiting next month as a part of the ongoing blitz.
