Site induction for subbies and visitors: what to record
An induction that is not recorded is an induction that did not happen. This covers what to put in front of subbies and visitors at a house site, and what to keep afterwards.
12 min read
Topic
Site Safety
Articles and news about Site Safety for Australian builders.
Site induction for subbies and visitors: what to record
An induction that is not recorded is an induction that did not happen. This covers what to put in front of subbies and visitors at a house site, and what to keep afterwards.
12 min read
Fatigue on residential builds: the WHS duty behind a long week
Fatigue gets treated as a character problem — the bloke who should have gone home earlier. Under the model WHS laws it is a hazard you manage like any other, and the levers sit mostly with the builder, not the worker.
14 min read
Heat illness prevention on NSW sites: rostering, water and shade as management controls
Heat illness is a management problem before it is a medical one. The controls that hold up are the ones you build into the programme, the site layout and the supervision routine before the first hot week.
13 min read
Manual handling on site: lifting sheets, frames and linings on a residential build
The lifts that hurt builders are rarely the dramatic ones. They are the same sheet, frame and lining handled fifty times a day, by a crew that has stopped noticing it is a hazard.
12 min read
Noise control and working hours on suburban house sites
Noise on a suburban knockdown-rebuild is two problems wearing one hat: protecting your own people’s hearing, and staying inside the hours and levels your council and the EPA expect. Get the second one wrong and the complaint arrives before the frame is up.
11 min read
Silica controls for cutting, grinding and mixing on site
Silica dust is not a stone issue, it is a process issue. Control it at the tool, at the mix, and in how the work is sequenced.
14 min read
Managing solvents, adhesives and fuels on house sites
The dangerous chemicals on a house site are rarely the drums. They are the part-used tins, the fuel cans and the adhesive tubes that get left where the last trade put them down.
12 min read
Confined space hazards on house sites: what residential builders need to control
Most confined space training is written for industry, but the hazard turns up on ordinary house sites: a sewer pit, a rainwater tank, a service shaft. The duties do not change because the job is a dwelling.
13 min read
Trench and excavation safety for house footings and service runs
A house-scale trench kills in the same way a civil excavation does. The difference is that on a residential site the controls are usually improvised, because the trench looks small and the job is only a few days.
11 min read
Temporary power boards and lead safety on residential sites
Temporary power boards and extension leads are where most residential electrical incidents start, because the supply is moved, patched and shared every day. This article covers what to check before the first tool is plugged in, and what to do when something fails.
11 min read
Scaffold handover and inspection records on house sites
On a house site the scaffold is usually up before anyone thinks about the paperwork. This is about the handover chain between scaffolder and builder, and the records that keep the principal contractor out of trouble.
11 min read
Roof and edge protection plans for two-storey homes: layout decisions at set-up
On a two-storey house, the edge protection plan is settled long before anyone climbs the trusses. The decisions that matter are perimeter coverage, how the levels connect, and what happens at the openings nobody wants to pay to guard.
11 min read