The health and safety practices of construction sites will be put under the microscope when workplace inspectors from both Victoria and NSW visit the Mildura region next month.
Inspectors from WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW will visit sites in Mildura, Wentworth and surrounding areas to talk with builders, sub-contractors and workers about safety practices that are required no matter which side of the river they are working on.
The visits will take place from November 16-20.
The visits, which are part of an ongoing campaign known as Cross Border, have been designed by both regulators to promote construction site safety in border towns along the Murray River.
According to WorkSafe Regional Operations Manager, Trevor Butler, construction was a high-risk industry and builders and sub-contractors needed to work together to ensure everybody got home safely at the end of the day.
“During our visits, inspectors will ensure builders and sub-contractors are complying with health and safety requirements, including managing risks associated with high risk construction work, the use of safe work method statements (SWMS) and preventing falls down stair voids,” Mr Butler said.
“Inspectors will also want to see builders effectively managing site safety, which includes having public protection in place and ensuring that their housekeeping practices are adequate.
“Taking shortcuts with
safety on construction sites is not an option.”
SafeWork NSW Director, Regional and Response
Operations, Tony Williams said it was critical that construction workers
were on the same page regarding risks and controls, regardless of which side of
the border they were working.
“Each state has the same or similar work health and safety requirements and accepts the other state’s safety documentation,” Mr Williams said.
“Through this project we aim to make it easier for local construction industry businesses to manage safety regardless of which side of the river they are working on.”
The project is supported by key construction industry stakeholders from both states. To be ready for the visit, builders and sub-contractors are encouraged to pick up an inspection checklist from all major hardware stores.
For further information on the project, visit www.worksafe.vic.gov.au or www.safework.nsw.gov.au
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