New fall rules will apply to South Australia builders from July as the state aligns its safety standards to other states.
SafeWork SA says the working height threshold for high-risk construction work will fall from three metres to two metres as of July 1.
This will require individuals and companies to have the relevant certification in place and available onsite for any work higher than two metres before it can start; click here for fact sheets about the changes.
SafeWork SA Executive Director Glenn Farrell says “falls from heights constitute a significant proportion of workplace injuries and deaths in the construction industry”.
“This change to the regulatory framework will mean employers can no longer erroneously rely on the higher height threshold to avoid providing adequate fall protection, particularly in the residential sector,” he says.
It says ReturnToWorkSA data shows that since the 2016-17 financial year, there were 1585 compensation claims filed that totalled more than $64 million.
From 2020-2022, there were 149 cases of falls from higher than two metres. Of those, more than 100 were in the residential construction sector with 68% of those cases involving falls of two to three metres.
FALLS THRESHOLD CHANGE ‘TO AFFECT MOST’
Meanwhile, scaffold and height safety company Buildsafe has just opened a South Australian base, at Lewiston.
The company believes single-storey residential builders will be the most affected as most roof work on single-storey homes is done two to three metres above ground; the fall rule change means most of that work will be over the threshold.
Buildsafe CEO Mike Shipton says their SA expansion is a direct response to that regulatory shift and the state’s growing construction pipeline.
“South Australia’s residential construction sector is one of the fastest-growing in the country with approvals up more than 10% year-on-year,” he says.
“The July 1 threshold change means every builder working above two metres now needs compliant fall protection on site,” he says.
The company operates 150 trucks across Australia and employs almost 600 staff; it provides scaffolding, height safety, edge protection, arrest and restraint systems, and site-monitoring technology to major residential and commercial builders.
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