www.worksafe.qld.gov.

au

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

Scaffolding Compliance
Campaign
Heads of Workplace Safety Authority
Name:
Position:
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Background
Following two high profile fatalities in New South
Wales and Queensland, the Heads of Workplace
Safety Authority (HWSA) launched a Scaffolding
compliance and enforcement campaign across
all jurisdictions.
Phase one of this campaign measured worksite
compliance against Australian Standard (AS)
1576 Scaffolding.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Key objectives
Increase the level of scaffold compliance within
the construction industry.
Determine the current level of compliance to
AS 1576.
Determine areas of non- compliance.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Scope
Scaffolding inspected:
prefabricated
aluminium
trestle
swinging stages
This does not include scaffolding under two
metres in height (from working platforms) or
workplaces that are not construction sites.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

National compliance levels

An inspection of 842 sites showed that only 59
per cent of scaffolding complied with AS 1576.
Industry compliance:
67 per cent of commercial sites
49 per cent of housing sites
62 per cent of demolition and asbestos removal sites.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Issues identified nationally

General scaffolding:
85 per cent of footings were inadequate
16 per cent of safety measures for over head power
lines (OHPL) were inadequate
74 per cent of ties were inadequate
81 per cent of bracing was inadequate
22 per cent of access to scaffolding was not
adequate.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Example 1

Some footings that were found to be inadequate

and placement on sole boards.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Example 2

Safe access to scaffolding

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Issues identified nationally

Suspended scaffolding:
11 per cent of businesses did not inspect scaffolding daily
20 per cent of businesses did not inspect scaffolding every 30
days
7 per cent of businesses did not train staff adequately
9 per cent of scaffolding cradles were not in good condition
38 per cent did not have adequate access to scaffolding
30 per cent did not have a secondary rope
33 per cent did not have counter weights
43 per cent of scaffolding was not as per drawings.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Queensland inspections
246 inspections across Queensland.
This represents 29 per cent of inspections
carried out nationally.
Types of scaffolding used:
prefabricated
suspended
tube and coupler.
Prefabricated scaffolding used in a majority of
work sites across Queensland.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Commercial vs. domestic audits

(By region)
Number of commercial and domestic scaffold audits by region
70

60
60

50

39
40

30 27
23
21
20 18
16
14
13

9
10

BNSC BSGC CQ NQ SW
Commercial Domestic
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Queensland compliance results

An inspection of 246 sites across Queensland

showed that 59 per cent of sites inspected in
Queensland comply with AS 1576.
This result is in line with national compliance
results.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Notices issued
139 notices issued throughout Queensland:
92 improvement notices
43 prohibition notices
4 infringement notices.
These figures are higher than national results,
however this may be due to alternate penalty
types being available in other states.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Notice type by region

 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Notice type by region

Number of penalty types by region
35

30
30

25
25 24

20

16
15

11
10
10
8

5
5
3 3
2 2

BNSC BSGC CQ NQ SW
Improvement Notice Penalty Prohibition
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Notices issued
Notices were issued for various issues:
16 per cent issued for maintenance issues
8 per cent issued for access issues
8 per cent issued for issues relating to ties
56 per cent issued for other issues.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Non-compliance issues by region

Other non-compliance issues account for 56 per

cent of the total number of notices issued.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Non- compliance issues by region

Other consisted of:
decks not cleaned/poor access
footings for scaffold not appropriate
sole boards/ base plates incorrectly installed and toe boards
missing
erosion under and around sole boards
standards not protected from collision from plant and vehicles on
site
no scaffold plans
scaffold not signed off
internal gap in excess of 225 mm.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Example 1

Erosion under and around sole boards.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Example 2

Internal gap in excess of 225 mm.

Lap-boards missing and not captured.
 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Non-compliance issues by region

Number of commercial and domestic scaffold audits by region
70

60
60

50

39
40

30 27
23
21
20 18
16
13 14

9
10

BNSC BSGC CQ NQ SW
Commercial Domestic
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Where to from here

Advisory campaign
Information sessions, fact sheets.
Enforcement campaign.
Further inspections, commencing late May 2010.
Evaluation of second audit campaign results.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au

Further information
Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Phone Infoline 1300 369 915
Sign up for eNEWS (free email subscription
service) at www.worksafe.qld.gov.au.