Released 26/10/2017
Today I have released the outcomes of the RMIT University-led review into the safety culture of Canberra’s construction industry.
The Getting them Home Safely Report recommended that the ACT Government conduct a stocktake of the construction industry’s health and safety performance as at 30 June 2016.
This review addressed that recommendation and included face-to-face surveys on construction sites, an online survey, and focus groups with key construction industry stakeholders.
The report shows an improvement in safety and health culture and awareness since the 2012 Getting them Home Safely Report, but identified a number of areas where further work is required.
I have referred the report to the Construction Safety Advisory Committee and the ACT Work Safety Council, to inform the development of a new construction industry safety strategy.
While I was pleased to see more support for worker safety in the industry than previously recognised, the results show that support for workers’ health has not kept pace with improvements in safety. In particular, work-family balance and mental health are identified as being significant problems for construction workers in the ACT.
I was also concerned by the differences in safety climate perceptions between participants. Upper-level managers were the most positive and lower level managers were more positive than frontline workers. This points to a concerning ‘disconnect’ between workers on the ground and management.
There were similar disconnects depending on the trade, with work pressure ‘to get the job done’ often cited as a key detrimental factor in both health and safety. This attitude is unacceptable in a sector where the cost of a mistake could be death or serious injury.
I was disappointed to see there may be an over estimation of safety and health culture in the residential construction industry. As shown by the recent scaffolding audit, attitudes to safety in this sector are not what they should be. Residential construction will continue to be a key focus for WorkSafe ACT.
My message to employers is that no deadline is worth the life or wellbeing of a worker. If WorkSafe has concerns about safety issues on a worksite, an improvement or prohibition notice will have a bigger impact on your deadline then doing it right and safely the first time.
The Government is committed to seeing the safety and health culture in the ACT construction industry improve. This report provides a set of baseline measures that can be used for future trend analysis and evaluation.
- Statement ends -
Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases