The Hon Joe Hockey, Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister The Hon Joe Hockey will launch the Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction at Parliament House, Canberra on 12 September.
The Guide is a key outcome of Construction Innovations Safer Construction project. It was developed by the Australian building and construction industry to help combat the unacceptably high death and injury rates of workers on Australian building sites and is designed to integrate occupational health and safety (OHS) into strategic and operational decision-making by owners, clients, designers and constructors in order to reduce workplace injuries within the construction industry.
The Guide addresses safety principles and practices for key stakeholders who influence safety in the Australian construction industry and will help guide the procurement, design, construction and commissioning of safer projects in the future. It has been developed following significant review of practical Australian and international best practice initiatives to identify the key processes that create a safer construction industry.
Six best practice principles to manage OHS within project processes are recommended in the Guide. These principles aim to establish a foundation for the collaboration of stakeholders (client, designer and constructor) who can an impact on the OHS performance.
The Safer Construction project has also developed an implementation toolkit to support industrys uptake of The Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction.
The Safer Construction Projectwas commissioned by Engineers Australia in response to the recognised need to reduce accidents and deaths in construction processes. Construction Innovationhas provided the industry research leadership in coordinating and funding this key project. Significant funding was also provided by the John Holland Group, the Australian Constructors Association and Engineers Australia.
Additional industry supporters are the Property Council of Australia, The Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Association of Consulting Engineers Australia, Australian Procurement and Construction Council, Master Builders Australia and the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner.
The Engineers Australia Taskforce on Construction Safety is chaired by Leighton Holdings Chief Operating Officer, Bill Wild, and the Project Leader is Tim Fleming, Operations Safety Manager, NSW/ACT Region, John Holland Group. The Research Leaders were Ron Wakefield (RMIT) and Kerry Brown (QUT). The project partners are:
- John Holland Group
- Bovis Lend Lease
- West Australian Department of Housing and Works
- Curtin University of Technology
- Queensland University of Technology
- RMIT
The The Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction will be available for free download or purchase after 12 September.