The construction industry safety watchdog Worksafe has stepped up its campaign against dangerous building sites in Canberra.
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After ordering a halt to activity on 11 sites last week, it's followed up with action against four residential construction projects in north Canberra.
Because of the danger of workers falling, it has issued 14 notices where improvements to safety protection must be made and four notices ordering immediate work stoppage until safety is improved.
In this latest case, inspectors found inadequate scaffolding and voiced "safety concerns such as fall from height risks due to non-compliant scaffolding, slip, trip and fall risks due to poor housekeeping, insecure fencing allowing unauthorised access to dangerous work sites, and no toilet facilities for workers."
The ACT's Work Health and Safety Commissioner, Jacqueline Agius, said such breaches were "far too common and should not be occurring.
"We are continually seeing the same types of safety issues at residential construction sites across the ACT," she said.
"Basic health and safety requirements, like having proper scaffolding and fall protection is not negotiable."
"We will continue working with industry to help improve the safety culture in residential construction, but we will also keep issuing notices to companies who blatantly disregard their legal obligations to maintain a safe workplace.
"Every employer and worker should be prioritising their safety - not only on worksites, but in every industry."
WorkSafe ACT will remove the prohibition notices once the principal contractors have rectified the identified safety issues.
Last week, the safety watchdog shut down 11 building sites belonging to one local construction company after serious safety issues were uncovered at the sites.
Inspectors found more than 50 offences across the 11 sites shut down.
The organisation is not naming any of the companies or sites.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
