Joint safety blitz reveals safety breaches at construction sites

Joint Safety Blitz Reveals Safety Breaches at Construction Sites

A joint safety blitz reveals safety breaches at construction sites across the Albury-Wodonga border region, following a week-long compliance operation run by WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW. The focus fell squarely on working-at-height hazards, a leading cause of serious injury on building projects nationwide.

What the Blitz Uncovered

During the operation, inspectors visited 52 construction sites, issuing seventeen improvement notices and two prohibition notices related to working at height. These figures highlight ongoing gaps in construction safety management practices, particularly around fall prevention and site supervision.

Common issues identified by inspectors included:

• Inadequate edge protection and fall-arrest systems
• Poorly maintained or unsuitable equipment for height work
• Insufficient scaffolding and access equipment checks
• Gaps in equipment inspection and maintenance records

Where sites rely on cranes or hoists, equipment used for lifting and loading materials near overhead powerlines also drew scrutiny, given the added electrocution risk when height work and live services intersect.

Why This Matters for Duty Holders

WorkSafe Director of Construction and Earth Resources, Matt Wielgosz, said the program forms one part of a broader strategy to ensure construction businesses comply with WHS legislation.

"Together with SafeWork, WorkSafe inspectors will continue to work with local construction workers and employers to help duty holders understand their obligations, regardless of which side of the border they're working on," Mr Wielgosz said.

He added that outreach extends beyond site visits. "We're also getting the safety message out to young tradies through presentations at local TAFEs, as we know that young workers can be more vulnerable and less likely to speak up about safety concerns."

Cross-Border Collaboration Between WorkSafe and SafeWork

This joint effort between Victorian and NSW regulators reflects a growing trend toward coordinated enforcement along state borders. Since hazards don't stop at a boundary line, consistent equipment standards and shared inspection priorities help close compliance gaps that might otherwise slip between jurisdictions.

Businesses operating on either side of the NSW-Victoria border should note that inspectors from both agencies are actively sharing intelligence, meaning equipment failures or documentation gaps flagged in one state are likely to attract attention in the other.

Strengthening Equipment and Management Practices

For construction businesses, the blitz serves as a timely reminder that robust equipment maintenance schedules and clear management systems underpin every successful safety program. Effective management of working-at-height risks typically includes:

• Regular equipment inspections before each shift
• Documented equipment maintenance and calibration records
• Clear management responsibility for sign-off on high-risk tasks
• Ongoing management review of near-misses and incident trends
• Site-specific safe work method statements covering equipment use around the public and other site hazards

Businesses managing steel-frame or high-rise projects, in particular, should ensure equipment such as harnesses, scaffolding and elevated work platforms undergo routine equipment checks, with faults reported and rectified promptly. A well-documented steel construction safety package can help formalise these equipment protocols.

Supporting Younger and More Vulnerable Workers

The TAFE outreach program acknowledges a well-documented issue: younger workers are statistically more likely to be involved in incidents, partly because they're less likely to raise health and safety concerns on site. Building a workplace culture where every worker, regardless of experience, feels confident flagging equipment defects or unsafe practices is central to reducing preventable injuries.

Practical Steps for Compliance

Construction businesses looking to strengthen their working-at-height management systems can start by reviewing their current documentation against SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria guidance. Resources such as construction and civil works safety templates offer a practical starting point for building compliant systems that address both equipment maintenance and worker training requirements.

Given that this blitz follows similar operations detailed in our coverage of a joint inspection blitz finding safety breaches at border construction sites and an earlier joint safety blitz targeting border construction sites, businesses should treat compliance as an ongoing management priority rather than a reactive response to enforcement activity. Similar operations, such as the safety blitz targeting construction sites in Wollondilly, suggest regulators nationwide are sustaining this enforcement focus.

Read the full story on the Government of NSW website.