Stay safe on scaffolds

WorkSafe ACT reminds all PCBUs to know their work health and safety obligations to make sure all workers return home safely at the end of their shift.

When it comes to scaffolding, PCBUs are responsible for identifying potential hazards, assessing, and controlling risks, and reviewing control measures regularly.

Workers on construction sites are also encouraged to speak up if they see scaffolding that doesn’t look safe, is not maintained or has been modified by someone without a suitable high-risk work licence. Scaffolding needs to be certified by a trained professional because using unsafe scaffold can lead to serious injury or death.

This financial year (to date), WorkSafe ACT inspectors have visited 180 work sites where scaffolding was used for access, egress or fall protection. As a result, our inspectors have issued 104 safety notices (improvement and prohibition) and 20 infringement notices for the non-compliant scaffold.

During these inspections, WorkSafe ACT inspectors identified the following issues:

• the scaffolding tag has not been inspected by a correctly licenced person within a 30-day timeframe
• no scaffolding tag in place
• missing scaffolding components such as mid and top rails
• the gaps from the scaffold to the structure is more than 225mm on all levels
• building material left on scaffold presents a trip hazard
• planks and ledgers missing or moved.

Anyone carrying out scaffolding work must have the appropriate high-risk work licence.

To find out more about scaffolding safety, visit the scaffolds page on the WorkSafe ACT website.

For information about scaffolding under the model WHS legislation, visit the Safe Work Australia website.