Joint teams from four government agencies have conducted nearly 160 inspections on building sites around Warrnambool this week.
The inspections were Warrnambool’s part in the statewide Build Aware campaign that has conducted more than a thousand site visits over the past five years, educating and advising builders, contractors and tradies on their legal responsibilities.
This time, the agencies found most building sites are complying with the laws that are there to protect the environment, workplace safety and the community.
Build Aware has run three times a year since 2016 in city and regional locations and aims to ensure compliance on residential, industrial and commercial building sites.
Officers from the key Victorian government agencies that regulate the building sector – the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), WorkSafe Victoria (WSV), Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) and Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) – formed teams to carry out targeted inspections over five days in the Warrnambool region.
The week has concluded with a free Build Aware Tradies’ Breakfast that drew builders, plumbers and other tradespeople from around the district to see trade displays and information from the four agencies on environmental, building and workplace safety laws that apply to building sites.
During the week, WorkSafe inspectors attended 10 building sites, focusing on the important issues of fall prevention and scaffolding safety.
EPA officers visited 58 locations, focusing on the management of construction and demolition waste, including asbestos, and the management of stormwater runoff to prevent contamination of waterways.
Inspectors from the VBA carried out 75 proactive inspections on sites under construction, checking the compliance and safety of building and plumbing work.
ESV officers attended 15 work sites where mechanical plant and equipment such as mobile cranes, tipping trucks, concrete pumping machines, scaffolding and elevated work platforms were being operated near overhead powerlines. They provided educational material to assist in meeting legal obligations when working in the vicinity of electrical assets.
Since early 2018, agency teams have conducted just over 1,100 inspections, with most sites found to be compliant.
