Campaign looks into security on WA construction sites

WorkSafe WA has launched a proactive inspection program targeting security issues across the state’s construction sites. The inspection program will look at a number of randomly selected sites across metropolitan and regional areas of the state throughout the 2024/25 financial year. Inspectors will examine the security measures in place to determine whether sites are suitably secured against unauthorised access, and will also conduct general site inspections.

There have been incidents in which construction sites have been accessed by unauthorised persons, exposing them to serious hazards. WA’s work health and safety laws require the person in control of a construction site to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that the workplace is secured from unauthorised access. If access cannot be prevented, the hazards within the workplace must be isolated.

As part of the site inspections, the inspectors will check for compliance with work health and safety laws, with a focus on the hazards associated with excavations, temporary electrical installations, partially constructed structures and stored construction materials. The inspections will be conducted with a checklist, to ensure consistency across all workplaces.

Acting WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the inspection program aims to help employers in the construction industry fulfil their responsibilities for the health and safety of workers and others at their sites. North encouraged employers to download the Construction Site Security information sheet and checklist from the WorkSafe website in preparation for a possible inspection.

“If our inspectors find non-compliance with work health and safety legislation, they will take appropriate action that could include the issuing of verbal directions or notices requiring the situation to be remedied. A wide range of safety issues may be present in the construction industry, and site security plays an important role in protecting the public from the hazards of a construction site. It’s our aim to make employers fully aware of the risks and supply them with information on the measures that can be put into place to lessen those risks,” North said.

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