Builders call for random worksite drug, alcohol tests

The response, unveiled on Wednesday by former director of the Australian War Memorial Major-General Steve Gower drew the immediate ire of construction workers, the ACT government and ACT Work Safety Commissioner for failing to endorse several recommendations from the inquiry.

The MBA has also called for more research on reducing the incidence of serious injuries by 35 per cent by 2016 before it could commit to the target.

It rejected outright two recommendations that it should take a lead role with the Housing Industry Association in ''the development of clear frameworks for the management of safety on ACT construction sites'' and include in its advice ''the allocation of responsibility'' as well as minimum training requirements for safe work practices.

''The development of frameworks relating to the management of safety were not tasks an industry association such as the MBA could undertake. This is due to the diversity and size of organisations involved in the industry and because safety management is a fundamental corporate governance matter that rests with building companies and developers,'' Major-General Gower said in his synopsis of the response.

The MBA is not making public its full response to the inquiry. MBA president Simon Butt said the MBA was keen to collaborate with other partners, such as the ACT Work Safety Commission, in providing a framework, but it was not a task the MBA could reasonably be expected to complete.

Its stance puts it at odds with the Housing Industry Association which had accepted every recommendation coming out of the ''Getting Home Safely'' report - except one which called for the eradication of sham contracting on the basis this was ''not a safety issue'', according to regional executive director Neil Evans.

Mr Evans said the HIA had no issue whatsoever in developing frameworks and guidance for companies on safe work practices as this was already a core duty for its 1400 members.

''I can't answer for the MBA but we are already developing these sorts of things for our members to try and make processes efficient and effective and make it easier for everyone to do their jobs in a safe way without any of these negative outcomes.''

ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe said it was concerning and disappointing that the MBA had rejected a call for it ''to show the leadership the industry needs at this point in time''.

''The Getting Home Safely report was a damning one for the local industry, and the calls for reform and change are significant. While I understand the difficulty in accepting such criticism, the industry has to do more than sit back and call on everyone else to lift their game while rejecting the pivotal importance of their own responsibilities.''

Similarly Workplace Safety Minister Simon Corbell said he was disappointed in several aspects of the MBA's response - not least its refusal to release its full report and justifications for rejecting some of the recommendations when all 28 had been accepted by government.

But the MBA earned praise for some initiatives arising from the inquiry, including its commitment to establishing a dedicated work safety expert position within the organisation.

It would also promote cultural change in middle management and train ''junior leaders'' to communicate safety culture and promote mateship in construction ranks.

The MBA's call for the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing was condemned by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union as a tactic to deflect responsibility.

Union ACT secretary Dean Hall said there was no doubt that drug and alcohol abuse was a major health and safety issue in construction but to focus on random testing as part of the inquiry response was ''a slap in the face to all those workers who have been injured and dishonours the memories of the four men who were killed in workplace accidents.''