The NSW Government is taking a step towards eliminating unsafe work on ladders, roofs and scaffold on building sites in a bid to better protect tradies and construction workers across the state.

SafeWork NSW’s Acting Executive Director, Compliance and Dispute Resolution, Meagan McCool said SafeWork officers will be visiting sites across both Sydney and throughout regional NSW in order to promote safe practices on building sites.

“Falling from heights is the number one killer on NSW construction sites which is why the NSW Government is taking action to ensure sites are as safe as possible,” Ms McCool said.

“Any accident on a construction site is one too many, and a death or serious injury can have a huge impact on a person’s family and community, which is why we are committed to driving the number of falls from heights incidents right down.

“What we don’t want to see is people having an accident and injuring themselves, or worst case scenario losing their lives, which is why our SafeWork officers will be on-the-ground state-wide ensuring safe working conditions and that lives are not put at risk when working at heights.”

SafeWork NSW officers can issue on-the-spot fines of up to $720 for individuals and $3,600 for businesses who fail to appropriately manage working at heights risks. SafeWork will also be conducting COVID safety checks where penalties apply.

There is a range of ways businesses can ensure their workers stay safe, and encourage small businesses to take advantage of SafeWork’s free online safety workshops for supervisors, $500 small business safety rebate, and to access the many safety podcasts, checklists and toolbox talks that can help make safety simple and compliance easy.

Small construction businesses that would like to learn more about the rebate program, attend an online safety workshop or access simple safety tools should visit the Safe Work NSW website or contact 13 10 50.

For more information on the Public Health Orders and to see what they mean for you please visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe/construction-and-tradespeople