As a contractor in the Australian construction industry, it’s very likely that you will need a Contractor Safety Plan in order to comply with your legal Workplace Health & Safety obligations. You certainly do not want to find yourself in a situation where you have been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines or even be facing prosecution from an Australian court.
Importance of Construction Safety
Construction Site Safety is one of the hottest issues when it comes to workplace relations in Australian society. The main reason why it has such prominence is because there are few industries where workers are placed under such high risk on a daily basis. The only other one that can compare to construction in terms of safety hazards is mining. In addition, the construction industry is one of the drivers of economic growth and development, not just in Australia, but in many other countries, which only emphasises its importance even more.
When creating your Contractor Safety Plan, it’s important that you understand that Construction Safety is governed by OHS legislation at both the federal level and the state level. Underneath the legislation, there are also OHS Regulations specifically aimed at industries that carry a high level of risk like construction. It’s vital that as a contractor that you under the difference between both.
Where To Get A Safety Plan
There are a couple of resources you can use to come up with your own Contractor Safety Plan.
The first one involves state government websites. Depending on what state you live in, you should get access to your corresponding government website as they have valuable and helpful information to help come up with your own safety plan. For example, the Queensland government has a page on what a construction safety plan needs to include.
On the other hand, if you are not keen on writing your own safety plan, you can always opt for a pre-written and pre-structured one which will save you a lot of both time and money. Ensafe offers a professionally-written and structured Construction Safety Plan to help contractors all around Australia come up with their own customised plans.
Whatever you do as a contractor, make sure that a Contractor Safety Plan is your number one priority before commencing work.
