Advancing a culture of prevention - presentation at the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work

Specialist Team formed to work proactively with industry to deliver safe and sustainable work practices on the high volume of infrastructure projects being undertaken in NSW.

A tunnel boring machine

Infrastructure Team – SafeWork NSW

The role of the Infrastructure Team is to support the vision and goals of the SafeWork NSW Roadmap and Construction Sector Plan, by working with Stakeholders and Industry to drive down fatality and injury rates across major NSW infrastructure and high risk construction sectors.

The Team’s role is to:

  • Reduce workplace fatalities by targeting high risk areas
  • Protect and intervene where workers are at greater risk
  • Improve in Respiratory Health in the sector
  • Target high risk workplaces
  • Improve quality of licencing, training & assessment
  • Improve return to work outcomes
  • Promote best practice through early engagement and intervention
  • Work collaboratively with industry

Projects and the industry

SafeWork’s Infrastructure Team, interacts on several high profile infrastructure projects across NSW, these include:

  • Sydney Metro​: City & Southwest / Western Sydney (Parramatta) / Western Sydney Airport
  • WestConnex: M4 & M5 link / Rozelle Interchange
  • Western Sydney Airport​
  • Snowy 2.0
  • Western Sydney Harbour Tunnel
  • Parramatta Light Rail, and the recently completed Sydney Light Rail
  • Moorebank & St Marys Logistics Parks

In addition to Infrastructure projects, the Team is also involved in the delivery of major construction and upgrades to community infrastructure including: hospitals, schools, roads, rail, stadium, maritime, museums, bridges and other related projects.

Western Sydney Airport – Artist Impression

Priority Harms

As identified in the NSW Roadmap and Construction Sector Plan, the Team is working with Infrastructure sector stakeholders to address the following priority harms:

  • Falls from height;
  • Contact with electricity;
  • Being struck by moving plant; and
  • Falling objects; and
  • Musculo-skeletal disorders

The team is working to address the promotion of long term health initiatives around:

  • Respirable crystalline silica exposure;
  • Mental Health; and
  • Fatigue

How we will manage and work with the sector

The Team is working to:

  • Identify and target High-Risk Workplaces for proactive compliance interventions
  • Focus on high risk activities: Priority sector Harms, supporting, protecting and intervening where workers are at greatest risk
  • Regular and ongoing presence across all projects and sectors including proactive and response operations
  • Participate, lead and engage in regular meetings, planning workshops, contractor forums, training sessions, consultation and communication between all stakeholders and workers
  • Provide advice, information and guidance to management, committees, unions and workers
  • Promotion and sharing of best practice solutions to high risk harms across the sector
  • Deliver a consistent, high quality, reliable Regulatory approach to the sector

They are working with industry, associations, unions, community, other regulators, and government agencies, including Comcare, Interstate Regulators, EPA, Department of Planning and Environment, NSW Building Commissioner and Fair Trading in the response to and prevention of workplace injury.

They are collaborating with national & state based working parties to build national uniformity within the construction industry, including:

SafeWork Resources

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More information

If you have any questions or require more information, please email us at hrwset@safework.nsw.gov.au

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