WorkSafe has continued its blitz on workplace safety in Denman Prospect. Photo: Supplied.
More than a dozen construction sites in Denman Prospect were shut down last week after WorkSafe inspectors visited 21 sites in the suburb and issued 41 improvement notices and four infringement notices.
Scaffolding safety was a major issue with workers operating at height without fall protection, using unsafe scaffolding and ladders to support single planks.
Other issues included site security, untidy worksites, a lack of signage, electrical safety issues and safe work method statements (SWMS) not being followed.
The 3 December crackdown followed a similar inspection blitz in August when WorkSafe visited over 60 sites and issued about 16 prohibition notices, 35 improvement notices and one infringement.
“I’m disappointed to see that just four months after our first visit to Denman Prospect, we are still seeing the same WHS [Work Health and Safety] issues in this suburb,” Work Health and Safety Commissioner Jacqueline Agius said.
“It is time for the industry to get real about safety and stop cutting corners so every worker can go home safely at the end of their shift.”
Since the blitz last week, WorkSafe ACT has noted that some of the prohibition notices at Denman Prospect have been complied with; however, a spokesperson said an “exact number of those that have been deemed compliant” is not available at this time.
The inspections were part of Operation Safe Prospect, WorkSafe ACT’s ongoing campaign to improve WHS standards in the residential construction industry.
“We will continue visiting and re-visiting greenfield sites across Canberra and we will be making sure that workers WHS obligations are complied with,” Commissioner Agius said.
For more information on safety relating to the building and construction industry, visit the WorkSafe ACT website.
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