Blitz on safety in concreting

Inspectors will be on the lookout for unsafe concreting practices, issuing on-the-spot fines of up to $3,600 for safety breaches.
Minister for Fair Trading, Eleni Petinos, says the construction industry employs more than 360,0000 people across NSW and inspectors will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to lives being placed at risk from formwork and concrete placing equipment activities.
“Falls from heights is the leading cause of fatalities on NSW construction sites, with falls from formwork being among the top five causes of serious falls reported to SafeWork,” Ms Petinos said.
“When it comes to concrete placing equipment, the major risks are workers being hit by the hose or concrete, or the boom hitting a structure or powerlines.”
Over the next three months, inspectors will be referring poor quality construction builds to the Office of the Building Commissioner and Fair Trading. They will also be issuing on-the-spot fines and ordering work to stop on sites if businesses are not managing risks correctly.