Master Builders NSW has produced a detailed best practice guide for running building sites in the current COVID-19 environment. This guide is current as at 1 April 2020.

Download your Copy Here

Safe Work Australia has published a Fact Sheet that provides information for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) on the approach to COVID-19 incident notification laws in each State and Territory jurisdiction, including details on how to notify when required.

Download the form by clicking the link below.

COVID-19 Incident Notification

Globally, dropped objects are one of the leading causes of fatalities and serious injuries. The effective management of this critical risk is not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, and to maintain operation efficiency alongside safety you need the right gear for each application.

The Conquer Gravity Kit by FIA Partner GRIPPS offers a range of turnkey solutions for the most commonly reported dropped objects and is available free of charge on request. (subject to eligibility criteria)

Get Yours Now

Create Leaders In Tool Dropped Prevention.

Whether it's technology, new processes or equipment - it's a proven fact that training and the creation of 'Champions' are the keys to success for wider workforce adoption and buy-in.

And whether you're using our products or another brand, FIA Partner Gripps are offering free live online training for your workforce in working at height best practices.

Download The Training Handbook

Gripps have found a considerable increase in uptake and implementation on projects that trained their workforce in tool drop prevention best practices.

This online training covers the "Why" and the "How" of tool tethering. It also teaches risk assessment and how to build a successful tool tethering system for the specific tools your workforce use on your project.

For more information or to book your free online training session, contact us using the links below.

Email 

Book Your Free Online Training Session

With companies around the world scrambling to keep projects on track and on budget, the last thing you need right now is a dropped object incident.

It's with this in mind that FIA Partner Gripps are making the GRIPPS site audit verification form for works at height available for free download.

The GRIPPS Audit is a bespoke risk assessment for works at height, allowing you to identify and address any blind-spots before they become incidents. It is part of the GRIPPS Target: Zero Drops comprehensive support program.

Simply click on the link below to download the document.

Download GRIPPS Audit Form

We hope you find the Audit Form useful and if you have any questions on the use of the form or how to interpret the results, reach out to Gripps by clicking the email button below.

Email  we're happy to help.

The New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australian Governments recently announced plans to slowly wind back social distancing restrictions from late April 2020 and early May 2020. The Victorian Government has indicated it won’t take similar steps until it is certain that there is no undetected community transmission.

The Prime Minister is urging schools to re-open and has recently indicated that Australia is ‘not too far away’ from easing coronavirus restrictions. And, he says, the COVIDSafe app is the ‘ticket’ to ending COVID-19 (but that’s a discussion for another time).

What does this mean for workers returning to workplaces where the COVID-19 risks in the community remain?

The official position, it appears, is that Australians should continue to work from home unless you can’t work remotely. There are many industries which have been ‘identified’ as essential, such as health, aged care, education, construction and supermarkets. Those workers have continued working from their workplaces because working from home is simply not an option or their services are essential (eg the supply of toilet paper). There are many other workplaces who have implemented unique hybrid arrangements which have included partial working from the workplace location and partly from home. Others have their workforces working productively from home.

Let’s face it: For many of us who have been working from home, we are itching to get back to the workplace (even if it’s just so we can attend Friday afternoon drinks).

As the COVID-19 curve hopefully continues to flatten, and as restrictions are hopefully eased, we need to think about how we are going to transition our workforces back into the workplace.

Here are some things to think about when transitioning part or all of your workforce back into the workplace:

Managing Workspaces
1	What physical and psychological risks need to be assessed?
2	Are the controls you have identified reasonably practicable and in accordance with the hierarchy of controls? See below the Department of Health’s guide to the Hierarchy of Controls.
3	How have you consulted with your workers about the risks and the controls?
4	What are the arrangements for returning staff? For example, will staff return to work full-time, part-time, or according to split or staggered shifts? If so, for how long?
5	What will social distancing look like upon their return and what, if any, modifications need to be made to the workplace layout to meet the distancing requirements?
6	How do you stay at least 1.5 meters apart, whilst at the same time having 4 square meters of space per person? (yes, you are supposed to do both).
7	Will social distancing mean that work tasks need to be done in a different area or a different way?
8	For staff who may continue to work from home, how are you checking that they are following safe working procedures and have they completed a checklist relevant to their work?
9	What processes are you going to implement for contractors, customers and other third parties, eg delivery drivers?
10	Will you continue to use electronic communications, such as Zoom and Teams?
Staying Healthy
1	How will you continue to maintain the use of hygiene measures, eg hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes?
2	What information and reminders will you provide about the hygiene measures, eg posters on how to stay hygienic?
3	How often will you clean your workplace?
4	Who will clean the workplace?
5	How can you be satisfied that the cleaning is thorough and regular?
6	How are you going to keep frequently touched areas and surfaces clean and at what intervals will they be cleaned?
7	How will you make sure that workers understand they need to stay home if they are unwell?
8	If someone is showing symptoms at work (including cold, flu or other respiratory problems), what will you do with them?
9	What amenities do you have to quarantine sick workers and how will you ensure that they are clean after an affected worker has used them?
Be Informed and Prepared
1	How are you going to keep up to date with Federal and State health authorities’ COVID-19 information and guidance and communicate this information to your staff?
2	Does your Pandemic Plan need to be reviewed and will it be sufficient in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak at the workplace?
3	Do you have sufficient and appropriate cleaning products and PPE available on site to deal with an outbreak?
4	Do you have a continuity plan to keep your business on track?
5	How will you keep the lines of communication open with your workforce to address any COVID-19 concerns they have?
6	What steps do you take if your staff or other persons at your workplace do not follow the procedures of policies you have implemented to reduce COVID-19 risks?

There may be more things to think about that are specific to your business.

As to exactly when back-to-workplace transitioning occurs, that is anyone’s guess (stay tuned to the Chief Medical Officer).  However, these issues can’t be considered and implemented overnight. Your business will need to plan for getting everyone back safely.

Please stay in touch with the current advice from the health authorities.

Our COVID-19 Resources Page will be updated as information and guidance becomes available. And of course, if you just want to have a chat to break that COVID-19 isolation monotony, give us a call.

Source: Department of Health

John Makris
Partner
+61 2 9169 8401
john.makris@kingstonreid.com

The 5.3 per cent fall in the number of building and construction industry jobs in the last six weeks revealed in data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics is ‘alarming and reinforces the need for immediate government stimulus measures’ says CEO of Master Builders Australia (MBA), Denita Wawn.

Ms Wawn said stimulus cannot wait as jobs are being lost now and the livelihoods of the 1.2 million people employed by the industry around the country and the viability of the nearly 400,000 building and construction businesses that pay their wages are at risk.

According to a recent survey of members of the MBA, 73 per cent have seen a substantial fall in forward work, with 40 per cent being lost on average.

“Governments must act now because while many builders and tradies are getting by on work that commenced prior to the onset of COVID-19, that work is fast running out and new orders have fallen off a cliff,” she commented.

“This is a dangerous situation not only for the industry and the people we employ but for the country. The Treasurer and the Governor of the Reserve Bank have spoken of building a bridge to economic recovery, but no bridge will be built literally or figuratively if the building and construction industry is on its knees.”

Wawn said the housing sector was vital in helping Australia to recover from the last major economic shock of the GFC but the impact of COVID-19 is hitting particularly hard right now.

“We want to see measures such as the expansion of the numbers and eligibility of the Federal Government’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme to include anyone wanting to build a new home to help home builders keep their doors open and tackle the nation’s undersupply of housing,” she stated.

“Our clear message to governments is that while we commend current measures to support business and jobs, more is immediately needed. Construction contractors need federal, state and territory governments to accelerate the construction of social, defence and transport infrastructure.”

“State and Territory governments must provide their infrastructure planning agencies with more resources so that actual construction work can commence, and Federal Government payments can be made, and money enter the economy,” she said.

“As the nation continues to be successful in tackling the health emergency posed by COVID-19 with measures to suppress its spread in the community, the focus of governments is increasingly on the measures needed to meet the resulting economic emergency. However, governments must recognise that stimulus measures cannot be deferred until social restrictions are eased, nor can they only be future-focused.”

“They must be put in place now so that the industry is in a position to drive the future economic growth necessary for a recovery in our economy and living standards,” Wawn concluded.

Original Article from Build Australia.

The Victorian Government has set up a dedicated taskforce to help keep the state’s building and development industry running through the coronavirus crisis.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne and Treasurer Tim Pallas will oversee the Building Victoria’s Recovery Taskforce, which will investigate planning and investment opportunities to boost Victoria’s building and development industry over the short, medium and long term.

The Taskforce will provide real-time advice to Government on issues impacting the industry, helping to remove barriers to building and development works, vital for supporting Victorian jobs, housing and infrastructure. It will also work with industry and unions to review existing major building and development projects, ensuring workers stay safe and healthy while infrastructure is delivered in Victoria.

The Taskforce will initially focus on overseeing the fast-tracking of planning approvals using Ministerial powers, where decisions have been delayed due to coronavirus related impacts on the Victorian Planning System.

The Government will also seek the Taskforce’s advice on a pipeline of building and development projects over the longer term, including initiatives that further expand social housing options.

The Taskforce will advise on financial incentives and current revenue measures – such as land tax, developer contributions, fees and rates – and make recommendations to help businesses survive and fast-track investment.

It will be co-chaired by Roger Teale, a former President of the Property Council (Vic) and Senior Executive at LendLease; Jude Munro AO, chair of the Victorian Planning Authority; and Stan Krpan, a Victorian Public Service CEO.

The Taskforce will receive advice from three Industry Working Groups and be guided by a Steering Committee, involving representatives from industry peak bodies and unions.

It will run for an initial period of three months, reporting back to government with recommendations.

Minister Wynne recently approved four new building projects located at 118 City Road, Southbank, 555 Collins St, 52-60 Collins St and 550 Epsom Road Flemington, worth more than $1.5 billion dollars.

He said the taskforce will help ensure the building and development industry is a driving force for Victoria’s economy through this pandemic and beyond.

“It will help deliver existing projects more efficiently and assist new projects to get off the ground faster.”

Michael Langhammer, Business Advisory Partner from Pitcher Partners Melbourne, said there is fear across the industry that as the pipeline of works is completed towards the end of the calendar year and into the first quarter of next year, that most of Government stimulus packages will have expired at a time when many in the property industry will be at their most vulnerable.

“We want to see the Taskforce explore opportunities to stimulate and fast track projects, including community projects (metropolitan and regional), infill medium density projects, and urban renewal, social, defence and affordable housing projects.”

The property industry is made up of many businesses turning over less than $50 million and as such the number of projects and building contracts required to keep these developers, builders and contractors employed is significant.

The latest industry statistics show that 1.2 million people are employed in the sector, across 400,000 building and construction businesses. 73% of these businesses have seen an average drop of 40% on their forward work.

Of the $423.7bn revenue earned by the sector, almost half (49%) is generated by the sub-categories of residential building construction, building completion services and installation trade services.

“The highly fragmented structure of the building and construction sector is evidenced by the number of small-size enterprises. A large share of these (58.9%) have no paid employees and comprise mainly sole proprietors and partners. Almost 60% generate less than $200,000 in annual revenue and very few employ more than 20 people, while about 6% of them generate annual revenue of more than $2 million,” said Mr Langhammer.

Original Article from Build Australia.

The state's building industry watchdog has warned phoenix operators against trying to exploit the NSW government's construction push as the state seeks to keep the economy running.

With developers lining up to pitch potential projects, NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes has also sought to reassure the public that the government's moves to fast track planning processes is not about "approving projects without merit".

The NSW government is moving to fast-track planning processes to boost construction in response to the COVID-19 crisis.CREDIT:JAMES BRICKWOOD

NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler said the government's plans to improve building quality, a separate legislative reform, would ensure there would be no "lessening of standards" in the sector while it sought to push through development applications during the COVID-19 crisis.

"I see all of this as terribly complementary," Mr Chandler said.

He added that a planned tool to identify "risky players" would help detect operators, including companies that close down and reopen as another to avoid debts and other liabilities, who would otherwise exploit the economic climate.

"Anybody who’s been involved in phoenixing is going to get very, very early and intense attention," he said.

The government is moving to fast track significant developments, rezonings and development applications, and make more ministerial approvals, in a bid to stimulate the economy.

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes.CREDIT:LOUISE KENNERLEY

Mr Stokes said the government was redirecting resources and fast-tracking the assessment of projects that create jobs and investment.

"Let me be very clear: this process is not about approving projects without merit," he said.

"This is about identifying the best projects to promote jobs and opportunity in the right places for the people of NSW, through the same stringent safeguards and community consultation that ordinarily apply."

NSW building commissioner David Chandler.CREDIT:AAP

Urban Taskforce, an industry group representing large property developers, has sent a wish-list of projects it wants the government to fast track approval for.

But Bates Smart architect and government advisor Matt Davis cautioned against a building rush negatively impacting public amenity down the track, saying there was a "level of concern" that the need to stimulate economic growth could come at a cost to good design.

"Developers and governments need to resist being blinded by the current short-term imperative for construction activity and choose to invest in and approve projects that are designed to achieve enduring value," he said.

City of Sydney councillor and architect Philip Thalis echoed Mr Davis's sentiments, warning that fast tracking projects would save only a matter of weeks or months but leave Sydney stuck with developments for a long time.

"The government needs to be very careful about what they fast track, the last thing we need to be fast tracking are deals for developer mates," he said.

While broadly supportive of faster planning processes, Labor planning spokesman Adam Searle said he would be concerned if it led to a deterioration in building standards.

"If fast tracking means you don’t adhere to the existing planning controls or you reduce the standards, then you will simply be dooming us to the mistakes of the past. We have to learn the lessons of Mascot and Opal towers," he said.

Mr Stokes said he was also working with key western Sydney councils to determine how best to direct funding and resources into projects that immediately benefited local communities and laid the groundwork for economic recovery.

Original Article

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Job losses in the construction and building sectors will be severe if the government doesn’t intervene, opposition leader Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

The latest ABS data recorded a 5.3 per cent fall in construction industry jobs over the last six weeks, as job losses nationwide surpass the 800,000-mark.

Construction industry body Master Builders has warned that the worst is yet to come, with future work falling by up to 40 per cent—a figure cited by the opposition leader.

Master Builders reported major losses from its 32,000-strong membership body. A survey conducted by the group showed respondents had, on average, lost 40 per cent of forward-work on their books.

Housing starts are expected to dip below 100,000 in coming quarters—nearly halving from the 174,000 recorded in 2019 and falling to levels last seen in the 1960s.

UBS analysts said there has not been enough policy support directly aimed at housing to offset the expected declines.

“If [house] price falls do become very significant and potentially a macro-stability risk, we would expect further government support,” UBS analyst George Tharenou said.

It appears the federal opposition has heeded the call of unlikely bedfellows the Master Builders and the CFMEU for further construction industry stimulus.

Related: Biggest Contraction Since the 1930s: RBA

▲ Anthony Albanese, opposition housing minister Jason Clare speak with Master Builders and ACTU representatives.

Opposition housing minister Jason Clare said the construction pipeline for new work is drying up.

“Everyone we’re talking to in the housing game are telling us the same thing, [that] future orders have gone off a cliff,” Clare said in a press conference on Thursday.

“And it will mean that hundreds of thousands of Australian tradies who work in the housing industry could lose their job.”

Moody’s analysts said that revenue for construction companies would likely decline in 2020 as global construction activity turned negative for the first time since 2017.

“We also expect continued delays in large infrastructure projects given supply chain disruptions and constraints on mobilising personnel at construction sites,” Moody’s analysts said.

Albanese said that the government and the national cabinet needs to invest in social housing and incentivise new builds and apprenticeships.

The jobs and wages data released by the ABS show the amount of jobs recorded by the Australian Taxation Office payroll system fell by 6 per cent between 14 March and 4 April.

The single-touch payroll system is used by 99 per cent of large employers—those with more than 20 employees—and 71 per cent of small employers.

Original Article

published in The Urban Developer.