Four Victorian regulators carried out more than 180 inspections across Bendigo work sites as part of last week’s Autumn Build Aware campaign.
Inspectors from Energy Safe Victoria (ESV), WorkSafe, the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) and Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) visited work sites across the Bendigo area between Monday 7 and Friday 11 March.
The agencies also presented safety messages to more than 150 carpentry, plumbing and electrical students at Bendigo TAFE throughout the five-day initiative.
Build Aware aims to ensure the construction and demolition industries are meeting safety, environmental, building and plumbing compliance obligations with each agency focused on a specific area of safety.
During the week, ESV inspectors visited 45 sites, checking to see if excavators, mobile cranes and tipper trucks were being operated too close to overhead powerlines. The visits were designed to provide education to workers in meeting their legal obligations when working in the vicinity of electrical powerlines.
VBA’s inspectors attended 61 building sites, carrying out 44 building and 17 plumbing inspections with structural deficiencies in timber framing, unreinforced brickwork, inadequate or incorrectly installed roof drainage systems and inadequate temporary fencing identified.
WorkSafe inspectors attended 50 sites, including housing construction sites to provide information to duty holders on health and safety issues in the construction of new residential houses.
EPA inspectors carried out inspections at 27 sites focused on the responsibilities of construction and demolition industries when it comes to waste management at building sites
Over the past four years, Build Aware has targeted regional areas including Shepparton, Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Wodonga, Geelong and Warrnambool. Joint activities delivered by the regulators include industry trade breakfasts, joint inspections and educational presentations to local TAFE students.
