SafeWork NSW blitz focuses on safety around overhead and underground services

In short: SafeWork NSW has launched a targeted compliance program examining how safely the construction industry and utilities contractors operate around overhead and underground services. Inspectors will attend high-risk worksites across NSW, and duty holders who fall short may receive improvement, prohibition or penalty notices.

SafeWork NSW is carrying out a compliance program designed to ensure that companies in the construction and utilities fields are maintaining safety standards while working close to overhead and underground services.

The initiative will involve SafeWork NSW inspectors visiting high-risk worksites throughout the State, focusing on areas near utilities like live electrical, gas, water, and telecommunications infrastructure.

“Working near overhead powerlines and underground services remains a significant safety risk across the construction and utilities industries, especially when using equipment such as excavators, elevated work platforms and front-end loaders,” SafeWork NSW said.

“Contact with overhead powerlines and underground services can cause death or serious injury such as electrocution or serious burns.

“They can also cause explosions, flooding and major service outages, which are hugely disruptive to the community.”

According to SafeWork, workplaces identified as failing to meet their responsibilities under work health and safety regulations could be subject to enforcement actions, which may involve the issuance of improvement, prohibition, and penalty notices.

Why mobile plant sits at the centre of the campaign

Serious contact incidents almost always involve mobile plant. Excavators, tip trucks, cranes and concrete pumps can breach an exclusion zone within seconds, so inspectors will examine how each machine is positioned, spotted and supervised.

Every item of plant should arrive with current maintenance records, a documented pre-start check and an operator whose competency has been verified. A dedicated safety observer remains essential wherever booms, masts or tipping bodies approach overhead power assets.

Exclusion zones differ between asset owners, so confirm minimum distances with the local power authority before plant enters an area. Ground conditions matter too: soft fill or unmarked trenches can tilt a machine toward an energised conductor.

Demolition and asbestos duties overlap with service isolation

Demolition ranks among the highest-consequence activities regulators monitor, because structures come down while nearby services often stay charged. Written confirmation from each asset owner that supply has been isolated or physically protected belongs in the job file before machinery starts.

Every demolition plan should map known underground assets, nominate exclusion zones, and record how spotters will communicate with operators. Hand-digging or non-destructive excavation beside marked utilities remains the accepted industry method for positive location.

Asbestos adds a second layer of obligation. Structures completed before 1990 commonly contain asbestos cement sheeting, pipe lagging or vinyl backing, so a competent surveyor should inspect and update the asbestos register before demolition proceeds.

Where friable material is present, licensed asbestos removalists must finish their scope first, and air monitoring should confirm nothing is spreading beyond containment. Crushing or dropping bonded sheeting during demolition can release asbestos fibres into surrounding streets.

Coordination between demolition supervisors, utility crews and the principal contractor keeps sequencing sound: isolate, verify, then dismantle. Combined demolition and excavation activity deserves a single shared plan rather than two competing documents.

Practical controls before work begins

Reducing the risk of contact starts long before machinery arrives on hardstand. Duty holders in the utilities industry and their subcontractors can apply these controls:

• Obtain current underground service drawings and treat them as indicative only.
• Use non-destructive digging to positively locate assets ahead of mechanical excavation.
• Establish and physically mark exclusion zones, tiger tails or goal posts where conductors cross access routes.
• Complete a documented risk assessment for each task involving plant near live infrastructure.
• Appoint a competent safety observer with clear authority to halt operations immediately.
• Brief every crew member during toolbox talks, then verify understanding rather than assuming comprehension.
• Record and review near misses, because such events signal control failures before harm occurs.

What this campaign means for industry

Regulators have sharpened attention on service strikes for several years, and the latest program follows earlier initiatives including the SafeWork NSW electrical safety blitz and a broader safety blitz to improve construction safety. Enforcement across the industry has also reached newer sectors, as shown by the NSW blitz targeting food delivery riders and platforms.

Businesses with mature systems generally fare well when inspectors arrive unannounced. Auditors look for evidence: risk registers, plant inspection records, isolation permits and hazardous material documentation matching conditions on the ground.

Documented systems also demonstrate due diligence to clients and insurers, which strengthens tender submissions and industry reputation.

Where to find guidance and resources

More information is available through SafeWork NSW, which publishes codes of practice plus industry guidance covering work near overhead and underground assets. Safe Work Australia maintains the model codes most jurisdictions mirror.

Contractors needing ready-to-use documentation can start with the SafetyDocs by SafetyCulture Work Health and Safety Manual, alongside tailored packages for regulated sectors. Options include fire services safety packages and templates for professional and general services operators, each prepared by experienced practitioners and revised as legislation changes.

Every industry carries its own hazard profile, yet regulator expectations stay consistent: identify services, isolate or protect them, then control plant movement around whatever remains live.

Industry associations, unions and asset owners publish free planning resources, including service location procedures and exclusion zone charts. Utilities industry members can request site-specific advice directly from network operators, while smaller contractors often rely on industry bodies for practical templates.

Key takeaways

• Inspectors from SafeWork NSW are checking construction and utilities operations near charged services statewide.
• Contact may cause electrocution, burns, explosions, flooding and community-wide outages.
• Mobile machinery, excavation sequencing and exclusion zone discipline attract the closest scrutiny.
• Failing regulatory duties can result in improvement, prohibition and penalty notices.
• Verified competency, documented isolation and current records remain the industry benchmark.