Recent figures published by WorkSafe Victoria show that more than 20 tradespeople are injured on Victorian construction sites per week, costing the industry around $17 million per year in medical costs, wages and other expenses.

 

Those figures might be significantly higher, according to WorkSafe Inspector Steve Thornely, as sole traders do not make claims under WorkSafe’s injury insurance scheme.

 

“Housing sites are constantly changing with different trades on site for short periods over the life of a project. As a result workers can face a continual and changing variety of hazards that require continual management,” Mr Thornely said.

 

“While not all incidents result in injury, we want to highlight the importance of workplace safety on construction sites by encouraging tradies in the domestic construction sector to take part in a competition using their smartphones.”

 

Mr Thornely said inspectors had addressed more than 1,250 safety breaches on housing constructions sites over the past year. Most were the result of inadequate planning, poor housekeeping and a lack of supervision.

 

“While many incidents can be easily prevented, serious injuries continue to happen on housing sites, and they often lead to work being stopped,” he said.

 

“Keeping a construction site safe is everyone’s responsibility. People working in this industry must stay on top of safety issues and not be afraid to speak up if something is unsafe.”

 

 

The release of the figures come after WorkSafe launched a new initiative to promote safety on site by getting tradespeople to talk about workplace safety and to do more to look after their employees, themselves and their colleagues.

 

The Top Tradie initiative will quiz participants on 10 sports and safety related questions, with weekly prizes including adrenalin sports packages, footy tickets and vouchers with the overall winning team getting four tickets to one of Victoria’s premier motorcycle events.

 

 

To find out more about the competition and to register for the Top Tradie quiz, visit:www.toptradie.com.au. To be eligible for prizes, entrants must have a Construction Induction Card (or equivalent) and work in housing construction in Victoria.