SafeWork targets Hunter construction sites in safety blitz
10 Mar 2025•BlueSafe Team•Source: SafeWork NSW
SafeWork NSW inspectors will visit construction sites across Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie this week, targeting falls from heights, mobile plant risks and psychological health and safety.
Inspectors will check and enforce workplace safety requirements in construction, which is among NSW’s highest-risk industries. Falls from heights remain the leading cause of fatalities in the industry and will be a focus of the visits.
SafeWork NSW continues to find workers exposed to risks through inadequate job planning, poor site supervision and failures to use established preventative controls, including edge protection. Inspectors will take a zero-tolerance approach where workers are put at risk.
Falls from heights, mobile plant and mental health are identified as key harms in SafeWork NSW’s 2024–2025 Annual Regulatory Statement. During the visits, inspectors will check whether people are separated wherever possible from mobile plant, including forklifts and vehicles.
Inspectors will also discuss psychological health and safety with workers, businesses, Health and Safety Representatives and union representatives. They will provide advice and resources on managing psychosocial hazards, including harassment, bullying, work pressure, exposure to traumatic events, violence and hazardous physical working environments.
SafeWork NSW Manager Construction Hunter & Central Coast Ryan Tinker said business owners must ensure workers receive appropriate training and instruction to perform their jobs safely, particularly when working at height or around moving plant and machinery.
Mr Tinker said inspectors would issue on-the-spot fines where necessary during the visits. He also outlined SafeWork NSW’s commitment to preventing psychological harm and providing businesses and workers with tools, resources and support to address psychosocial hazards.
Further information on managing work-at-height risks, mobile plant safety and psychosocial risks in construction is available on the SafeWork NSW website.
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