With the Covid-19 rules for construction maintenance being updated regularly and varying based on where you live and operate, we appreciate it can be confusing!
We suggest you bookmark these two government pages and refer to them regularly.
We will also send you updates with a summary of the changes. If you have any questions or concerns, get in touch for a chat.
The information below is related to construction sites. Not sure if your project is considered a construction site, check the definition here. If it’s not a construction site, please refer to this information.
If the construction site is in Greater Sydney (and not in a local govt area of concern)
For construction to continue, you must:
- Have a maximum of 1 person per 4m2 at any one time, this is a new regulation that comes into effect at 12.01am on 11th August.
- Have a Covid-19 Safety Plan in place. This became mandatory on 31st July. Here is an example of what a good Covid-19 Safety Plan should include.
- Workers must not live in an area of concern. If a worker comes from an area of concern, they must be authorised to leave the area to perform work. Find out who is authorised to leave the area. Workers can also become authorised if they are vaccinated, this comes into effect at 12.01am on 11th August, see more information.
- Face masks must be worn at all times, as long as it’s safe to do so.
If the construction site is in regional NSW, including Armidale, Newcastle, Hunter, Tamworth and Northern Rivers local government areas
For construction to continue, you must:
- Have a maximum of 1 person per 4m2 at the site, or a maximum of 25 persons at the site at any one time.
- Workers must not live in an area of concern. If a worker comes from an area of concern, they must be authorised to leave the area to perform work. Find out who is authorised to leave the area.
- Workers who live in Greater Sydney must follow the rules for testing
- You must wear a mask in indoor and outdoor areas of construction sites, unless it is unsafe to do so
If the construction site is in a local government area of concern
Only urgent work can be carried out by those who live in the same area as the construction site, or Greater Sydney.
Urgent work is defined as:
- to ensure the safety or security of the construction site
- to deal with environmental risks
- to maintain and ensure the integrity of critical plant, equipment or assets, including partially completed works, that would otherwise deteriorate
- to receive deliveries of supplies that would otherwise deteriorate
- to maintain public utilities
- to ensure the safe operation of existing transport infrastructure
- by or on behalf of NSW Health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- because of an emergency.
If you are carrying out urgent work for these reasons, you do not need an exemption or confirmation from the NSW Government to undertake the work.
Not sure if you or your contractors are in an area of concern? Put the address into this NSW govt map. From the 8th of August, Penrith suburbs and Armidale local govt area became areas of concern.