A message from Safework NSW
When installed correctly, scaffolds protect against falls from heights and falling objects, so when safety fails the results can be devastating.
Recently, a 15 metre scaffold collapsed at a Macquarie Park construction site.
Rick Bultitude, SafeWork NSW Director of Investigations and Emergency Response said investigations are under way to determine the cause.
“We received a call to attend an incident and when our inspectors arrived, they were told that an 18-year-old who was trapped had passed away,” Mr Bultitude said.
“Another, 39-year-old formworker was seriously injured and hospitalised.
“There was a great deal of shock and grief on the site - something which will ripple throughout workplaces and industry".
“While our team is looking into what went wrong, we remind businesses, large and small, that they have a duty to identify hazards and manage risks to health and safety in accordance with the provisions of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.”
Only licenced scaffolders are legally allowed to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolds where the risk of workers or an object falling is 4 metres or more.
Although licenced scaffolders are responsible for alterations to a scaffold, everyone on a job site can be alert to scaffold safety and raise concerns with their supervisor or licenced scaffolder.
Good scaffolds will:
- have solid and even foundations
- safe access and egress to working decks
- horizontal gaps between the working deck and building face that are less than 225mm
- adequate ties to the building
- loads weighted within the rated capacity
- vehicle access protection installed at vehicle entry points
- be complete with no missing components – handrails, mid rails, toe-boards/brick guards, ledgers, planks, hop-ups.
Scaffolders must hold the appropriate high risk work licence and have provided a handover certificate after installation.
You can check a worker’s high risk work licence validity on the public register.
The register also lists if a person’s licence is suspended or cancelled, or they have been issued with a penalty.
More detailed guidance is contained in the following resources:
• Safe Work Australia - Scaffolds and scaffolding work general guide
• Safe Work Australia – Guide for scaffold inspection and maintenance
• SafeWork NSW Erecting, altering and dismantling scaffolding – part 1 – prefabricated steel modular scaffolding
• Scaffolding collapse safety alert – 14 Sept 2018
• Dogging, rigging and scaffolding licencing information
• AS/NZS1576 Part 1: Scaffolding – general requirements
• AS/NZS4576: Guidelines for scaffolding
• Construction work Code of Practice
• Managing the risk of falls at workplaces Code of Practice
Scaffold safety failures account for numerous injuries in the construction industry, with collapses and falls from heights being the main risks.
“It is the responsibility of the scaffold suppliers and installers to ensure the scaffold is fully compliant when handing over to the site,” Mr Bultitude said.
“It is the responsibility of the principal contractor to ensure their scaffold is compliant on handover and remains compliant for the duration of the build - and to ensure unlicensed workers do not place others at risk by removing scaffold components.
“It is all of us who are responsible for making safety the number one conversation, issue and consideration at work because the costs are too high not to.”
Workers impacted by incidents that have injured or killed colleagues are potentially at risk of psychological harm.
Apart from seeking support from their business, workers can visit Mates in Construction or Mental Health at Work on the SafeWork NSW website which lists services for immediate mental health needs such as in the aftermath of an incident as well as resources for ongoing mental wellbeing in the workplace.
