Working in the building industry can be very dangerous at times and it requires correct procedures and licensing to be in place to ensure every possible aspect has been addressed and adhered to ensuring minimal chance of an injury or damage to property.
Working Safely
At Mayfair Building Group, safety comes first on all our projects across Adelaide. To work safely takes training, upskilling, time and effort, and it looks easier to just cut a corner, but when corners are cut, accidents pop up. The last thing you want on a building site is to injure someone or cause major damage to a building/infrastructure by cutting corners.
An example of a major accident on a building project could be not lodging a Dial Before You Dig application 24 hours (subject to each utility response) before excavating a trench and hitting a high-pressure gas line of an NBN conduit full of Fibre Optic cabling. Mistakes like this will not be covered by insurance if the correct procedures are not followed prior to the accident occurring.
Performing A Safe Renovation
When we start a new project such as a new home or addition to a property there are a few tasks that need to be implemented:
- Notification to the local authority of the intention to start a new project
- Temporary fencing and signage
- Induction facility to check on white cards, licenses, JSA, SWMS and MSDS
- Electrical testing and tagging register
- Dial before you dig
- Site toilet, rubbish bins, painters wash down station, lead stands, task lighting, stormwater erosion protection and water tap
- No work on a Sunday unless prior permission has been granted from the EPA
- Correct scaffolding and fall protection from heights
- Notifying local authorities at each stage of completion of a project such as timber frame, roof trusses and lock-up
- Consistently checking on the NCC and local government authority regulations to ensure compliance in all aspects of the project
- Issuing eCOC for plumbing, gas and electrical tasks
What Tasks On A Renovation Require Special Attention
When we delve into the specifics of a renovation, there are a few tasks that require extra attention. Below are a few of the tasks and what we do to provide safety for our workers during these tasks (these tasks all require JSA’s and SWMS before starting any part of the job):
- Digging new sewer mains: Due to the depth of these pipes towards the SA Water Street connection, shoring and benching can be required when the trench exceeds 1.5 metres or 5 feet deep. The purpose of the shoring is to avoid the collapse of a trench while someone is at the bottom, trapping them and killing them. It is also important to have adequate bunting and signage up while this task is being performed to alert others of what is going on at the time to help them not fall into these deep excavations.
- Two-storey addition and Roofing: Both of these tasks are performed at a high level and require scaffolding and fall protection to be set up by licensed scaffolders. It is also important that the tradespeople performing these tasks wear the correct harnesses and footwear and hand protection to protect themselves during the installation of Hebel wall panels and roofing iron sheets.
- Certifying Plumbing, Gas and Electrical work: Performing and Plumbing, Gas or Electrical work should only ever be done by a licensed tradesperson. This type of work has many standards and rules that need to be performed to deliver a safe installation and one that an eCOC can be issued against to the Office of Technical Regulator.
Working on a safe work site maximises productivity and ensures continuity of tasks throughout the building process. It reduces the risks of a workplace accident and the loss of money due to having to re-order materials through a mistake of breakage.
At Mayfair Building Group, we have strict procedures in place at each stage of the building process to ensure all of our tradespeople do the right thing and perform their tasks in the right way. If you want a safe and efficient renovation performed in Adelaide, contact us today at 0429361819.