The Housing Industry Association is urging workers to stay up to date on the latest workplace safety rules during National Safe Work Month.
With a raft of workplace safety laws coming into effect over the past 18 months, site bosses, construction workers, and tradies are being asked to refresh themselves on the do’s and don’ts while on the job.
While workplace safety incidents have continued to see a steady decline over the past two decades, and the latest batch of new regulations aim to make working on the tools even safer as Australia embarks on one of its biggest decades of construction in history.
These changes include a nationwide ban on the importation and use of engineered stone, a popular bathroom and kitchen benchtop product that contains silica.
Meanwhile, new national laws that took effect last month give workers the right to demand multiple safety control measures, such as PPE, water suppression, on-tool extraction systems and local exhaust ventilation systems when working with other silica-containing products.
And construction bosses can now face up to 20 years in prison, thanks to updated industrial manslaughter legislation, if they are found to have caused the death of a worker through a reckless or grossly negligent breach of health and safety.
HIA Chief Executive of Industry and Policy Simon Croft says National Safe Work Month provided the construction sector with the perfect opportunity to take that extra moment to reflect and discuss safety on site.
“Safety on site in the construction industry is a core aspect of the day-to-day work builders and tradies manage in building the homes we all live in and enjoy,” he said.
“These rules are continuing to get more and more complex and extending beyond just physical hazards to cover workplace behaviours and psychosocial hazards and risks.”
“Therefore, it is essential that the industry continues to take steps to manage risks, keep workplaces and workers on site safe and healthy, as well as understanding and staying ahead of their safety obligations.”
Hammering down on safety awareness
The theme of this year’s National Safe Work Month is “Safety is Everyone’s Business”, which aims to emphasise the importance of everyone on the job site being aware of the area’s specific safety regulations.
“Residential building sites can be dynamic, with the number of workers on site varying from day to day, hour to hour, making this theme very important for our industry,” Mr Croft said.
“Ensuring everyone coming on to the site is across the new safety rules is critical.”
“HIA encourages everyone walking on-site to think about safety as a shared responsibility – if you see something out of place or something that could create a potential hazard – don’t walk by it; help to remedy or get assistance in doing so.”
Across the month, the HIA will undertake a range of activities to support builders and tradies
including new safety videos, updated safety information resources and new online safety tools that can assist the industry in keeping sites safe.
