Construction is one of Australia’s most dangerous industries. Despite employing almost 10% of the country’s population, it consistently has higher rates of workplace injuries than the national average. According to Safe Work Australia, 45 construction workers died on the job in 2023, an increase from the five-year average of 33. Falls from heights are the leading cause of deaths in the industry, with tripping hazards, falling objects and chemical exposures being common dangers. If you’re a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) in the construction industry, you’re required to apply risk control measures, including hazard prevention.
No two construction sites are exactly alike, and some have more hazards than others. Factors like heights, electrical hazards and exposure to heavy machinery and dangerous equipment can increase the already significant risks. An unchecked workplace safety hazard is an accident waiting to happen, compromising the safety of your staff and leading to issues such as large fines, productivity losses, potential legal action and a tarnished business reputation.
SSTC is a trusted name among construction sites around the country. We can assist you with hazard prevention and provide you with an ironclad safety strategy for your construction site.
A hazardous construction environment is one in which workers are exposed to greater than average levels of risk, often requiring additional precautions or training to deal with. This could be due to exposure to hazardous chemicals, compromised buildings or scaffolding, high-risk activities like operating heavy machinery, or lack of adequate protection. Exceptionally hazardous construction environments require stricter, more complex safety regulations like increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and more detailed emergency response plans.
The types of hazards in high-risk construction environments can be:
Dangers can come from confined spaces, working at heights, working with explosives and working in wet weather conditions, among a host of other factors. Hazard prevention is important on any construction site, but a particularly dangerous construction environment presents even greater challenges to deal with.
It’s important to address construction site hazards early, and if you can’t remove them entirely, minimise them as much as practicable. Here’s how to reduce the risks involved in some common workplace safety hazards:
Slips and trips are among the most common causes of accidents, injuries and deaths on construction sites. You can minimise the risk of them by keeping the site clean and organised, keeping debris and obstacles away from work and storage areas, promptly cleaning up spills and providing adequate lighting.
Working at heights is common on construction sites and a leading cause of accidents in Australia. Falling from ladders or scaffolds, off ladders or through roof sheeting are among the leading causes of injuries when working at heights. Fall prevention devices and fall-arrest systems can reduce the risk involved if it’s impossible to carry out work on the ground.
A construction site is a busy, dynamic environment with objects from overhead lifting equipment to diggers constantly moving about. Workers need to stay aware of their surroundings, wear PPE and avoid working too close to the hazards if possible.
Heavy lifting and manually handling objects carries a risk of injury. Workers need to be trained in how to both manually lift objects and use lifting equipment. Redesign tasks when possible so your team can carry them out without manual handling, and ensure workspace heights are adequate to reduce the need for crouching and other awkward movements.
Electrical risks are common on construction sites due to factors like contact with power cables and electrical equipment and machinery. Electrocution can happen either by touching live wires directly or by indirectly touching a conducting object or material. Only licenced electricians should carry out electrical work on construction sites. For employees that are working near electricity, adequate safety training, safe work practices and proper use of electrical equipment are essential. De-energising lines when possible is another safety measure worth implementing.
You can’t remove a workplace safety hazard entirely, and some construction sites will always be more dangerous than others. When you have no choice but to deal with a particularly dangerous environment, here are some steps to put in place to prevent accidents:
All workers should hold a white card before they commence on-site construction work, and every worker should also complete site-specific induction training to minimise the risks of a particular workplace.
Having security guards watch the construction site both during and after hours can help prevent the equipment from theft or damage. More importantly, trained security guards can prevent workers, site visitors and the public from being exposed to dangerous situations.
A Safe Work Method Statement is essential before commencing any high-risk construction work. This includes work that involves a risk of falls of more than two metres, work carried in or near a confined space and work involving asbestos, besides a long list of other factors. A SWMS details the scope of the work involved, any potential risks and how you plan to mitigate them. Construction work in a high-risk environment can’t legally commence until the standards of an SWMS are met.
As a PCBU, you have a legal requirement to provide PPE to workers if it’s necessary to minimise risks. Common examples of construction site safety equipment include hi-vis vests, safety goggles and safety harnesses.
In a dangerous industry like construction, first aid workers are a necessity. It’s best to provide at least one first aid officer for every 25 workers, as well as make first aid equipment easily accessible on site.
To minimise risks and ensure safety on your construction site, do it the right way, the SSTC way.
As an industrial services company, SSTC provides a vast range of specialised services tailored to meet the needs of every work site. We can create and develop site-specific safe work method statements, risk assessments and required permits for working in confined spaces, at heights and in other site-specific conditions. As an organisation with over 25 years of combined experience, we’ve been working with construction sites with various levels of risk for over nine years now.
Our popular industrial services include emergency/first response teams, gas detection and monitoring and confined space management. Our fully accredited, highly certified team is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of safety at all times as we help you improve the safety of your construction site.
To find out more about our hazard prevention services and how they can benefit your construction project, contact the SSTC team for a free quote.