Remedial works start at Art Group's Dickson site following excavation collapse

It comes as the construction industry union and the ACT opposition call for faster action on licensing requirements in the ACT.

Just before midday on Thursday, WorkSafe ACT approved the contractor to undertake remedial works and granted them access to the block.

The developer and owner of the site, Art Group, issued a statement saying the works had begun.

"The contractor is liaising with authorities regarding the works associated with the rectification of the neighbouring properties," the statement read.

Fences and warning signs were erected in backyards on Lowrie Street after an excavation wall bordering the properties collapsed around 1.30am on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the construction site for Art Group's Calypso apartments, a 166-unit complex being built as part of the Soho precinct on Northbourne Avenue.

Residents recalled hearing loud noises and feeling trembles before parts of their backyards, vegetable gardens and a shed fell into the deep excavation pit.

Powerlines were also dragged down with the collapse, cutting power to about 50 homes.

An Evoenergy spokesperson said generators had now been supplied to residents whose power could not be restored on Tuesday.

"On Tuesday, Evoenergy crews made repairs to restore 50 customers impacted by the site damage in Dickson," the spokesperson said.

"Our crews installed individual generators for a small number of customers to give them temporary power until our powerline can be recovered and permanent repairs made."

Access Canberra issued a stop-work notice for the site on Tuesday and will prepare an emergency rectification order for the site.

It was the second excavation collapse in Canberra in two months. In August, a retaining wall collapsed at a Geocon work site in Phillip, forcing the closure of one of Woden's largest carparks.

While the cause of Tuesday's collapse has not been determined, the two recent incidents have prompted fresh calls for stricter licensing for the ACT's construction industry.

The Canberra Liberals' Mark Parton said he was shocked by the most recent wall collapse.

"I was absolutely over the moon that this didn't happen at 1.30 in the afternoon because we could have been dealing with a massive tragedy here and it's just through sheer luck that we're not," he said.

Mr Parton said two construction wall collapses in Canberra in a space of two months "should give us concern".

"Yes, it's been an unprecedented rain period for the ACT but building of this nature goes on in a lot of jurisdictions that get a lot more rain than this," he said.

"So although obviously the rain has played a factor, we must do better.

"I think it does also suggest that the path that we're going down regarding the licensing of more of those key trades is a worthwhile path."

On Tuesday, ACT Sustainable Building and Construction Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said the "very serious incident" in Dickson highlighted the need for an engineer registration scheme.

The ACT government will table legislation for the scheme in the Assembly next month.

A public discussion paper around a developer licensing scheme will also be introduced in the coming months.

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However the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union ACT secretary Zach Smith wants to see more steps taken to regulate Canberra's "lax regulatory environment".

"That makes me furious because we're not just talking property damage and financial damage, we're talking about workers' safety," he said.

"We need the ACT government to show some urgency and expedite legislation for engineers registration and a developer licensing scheme."

Mr Smith is also calling for mandatory licensing for a range of building trades to be introduced in the ACT.

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