Building site inspections part of Albury-Wodonga safety blitz

SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria inspectors are carrying out a regional blitz on the construction industry, focusing on site housekeeping, height safety, falling objects, electrical, moving plant operations and silica and asbestos controls.

SafeWork NSW director regional construction Laurence Richey said on the spot fines of up to $3600 for a corporation and about $700 for an individual could be issued while serious matters might be taken to court.

"Really, people have no excuse," he said while visiting the Albury Entertainment Centre project on Tuesday.

"Working at height is one of the key killers still on worksites.

"The data tells us it's falls up to four metres ... even off a ladder can cause death or serious injury."

Between 2014 and 2017, 12,000 NSW workers fell from a height, causing 25 deaths and more than 240 people permanently disabled.

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Mr Richey also highlighted the need for well maintained building sites.

"There's clear linkage between poor site amenities and poor build quality, the two have been found to go hand in hand," he said.

Master Builders Association NSW executive officer - safety David Solomon conceded construction sites could be under-resourced during boom times.

"It doesn't take away from the fact that individuals have got a responsibility to themselves for safety and also for the people they work around in the direct vicinity as well," he said.

"There's a great depth of knowledge with the local builders, we've found them to be very interested with new legislation and keeping up to date with the latest information."

Mr Solomon said during last year's COVID-19 restrictions "we were never busier".

"We were inundated with calls," he said.

"It was encouraging that all our members rang up and sought advice from us on how to keep building in a safe manner with the new controls in place."

Connelly Construction project manager Ryan McCullough and Masta Scaffold director Mathew Martin showed SafeWork assistant state inspector Craig Przibilla around the entertainment centre scaffolding.

Mr Martin said safety awareness had "come a long way" since his early days in the industry.

Mr McCullough believed surprise visits by inspectors remained a good thing.

"They always keep us honest, we've got to do the right thing otherwise, worst case scenario, you possibly lose someone, it's not what you want," he said.

Mr Solomon agreed safety was "at the top of every agenda now, every meeting and every build".

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