During May 2018 WorkSafe inspectors will be focusing on fall hazards in an effort to reduce the number of workers injured at housing construction sites.

Since 1 February this year, 40 serious incidents involving falls at construction sites have been reported to WorkSafe. The three construction fatalities that occurred in 2017 all involved falls.

These include the following incidents, which occurred on building sites in April:

• A man who fell and broke his leg after catching his foot between the rungs of a ladder at Inverloch.
• A man who fractured ribs after falling three metres through a void at Fawkner.
• A man who suffered a concussion after falling 2.4 metres when a truss gave way at a site in Caulfield North.

WorkSafe Acting Head of Hazardous Industries and Industry Practice Dermot Moody said falls were an ongoing issue within the housing construction sector.

“Employers in the housing sector have the same responsibilities as those on any other site to identify risks and ensure correct safety measures are in place,” Moody said. “Our inspectors will be reminding them of this when they visit housing sites this month.”

Moody said WorkSafe inspectors would not hesitate to take enforcement action where they identified the risk of a fall, or where Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) were not in place for high-risk construction tasks.

Master Builders strongly recommends that members should ensure there are adequate perimeter-edge handrails or scaffolds in place for any work over two metres and that there is stair void protection installed as early as possible so as to minimise the risks of workers falling through these voids. Stair void falls have been very prominent in recent months.

Members needing assistance in their dealings with WorkSafe or advice in relation to Safe Work Method Statements can contact the OHS unit on (03) 9411 4569