WorkSafe Targets Falls from Height

More Than $3 Million in Penalties

For the past six months, WorkSafe Inspectors have been visiting small to medium-sized construction sites to make sure fall prevention measures are in place and up to standard.

Inspectors have visited 2,103 construction employers across the civil, commercial and housing sub-sectors and issued 598 improvement notices relating to falls from height. Other notable trends included poor housekeeping and lack of electrical equipment inspections.

Since the launch of the 2025-2026 strategy, WorkSafe prosecutions have resulted in over $3 million in fines and court costs for breaches of occupational health and safety legislation related to falls from heights.

The largest total fine during this period was $700,000 across two prosecutions. The company was engaged to install roofing at homes in Fraser Rise, Clyde North and Mickleham. Workers were repeatedly exposed to falls of more than two metres without proper fall protection. Inspectors saw workers roofing without guardrails, safety harnesses or other fall prevention measures. In some cases, safe work method statements (SWMS) were missing or not available on site. At one site, workers were doing the same unsafe work the day after an improvement notice was issued requiring a compliant fall prevention system before roofing could begin.

The Court found the company guilty in its absence and fined it $350,000 in each prosecution, plus costs. The Court said the company had seriously failed to protect its workers and had ignored safety duties it knew about. The first prosecution involved unsafe work over a long period and at multiple sites. The second was considered more serious because the same unsafe behaviour happened almost 12 months later, showing no improvement in the company’s approach to safety. The penalties highlight the serious consequences of failing to manage fall risks, one of the biggest hazards in construction.

WorkSafe Inspectors will continue to focus on fall prevention to drive down deaths and injuries.

You can make sure your workplace is up to standard – some common falls hazards to look out for include:

• unprotected edges
• unsafe or incomplete scaffolds
• unsafe or inappropriate ladder use
• roofs, fragile roofs and skylights
• steep or sloping surfaces
• stair voids
• truck beds or plant platforms
• excavations, pits, and holes.

To help address this ongoing risk, WorkSafe has developed a Falls Basic Workshop – a practical program designed for small and medium construction businesses, workers and employers alike.

Register for one of the three remaining workshops for the year here.