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Over the next 5 years Australia’s multi-dwelling construction industry is expected to grow due to urbanisation and strong population growth. Despite having a downturn in recent years, the number of businesses in the industry has grown 1.9% per year, reaching 27,700 in 2024.

What is Multi-Dwelling Housing?
In Australia, “multi-dwelling housing” refers to residential developments with three or more dwellings on a single lot, each with ground-level access, and excludes apartment buildings.

What’s the difference?
The key difference between single and multi-dwelling housing is the level of complexity required to manage the build and the likelihood of additional layers of responsibility e.g. directors and development owners above the principal contractor.

There are often complex stages of these builds, which are generally run by specialised subbies e.g. planning (engineers, architects, quantity surveyors), and build stages (civil works, construction management, carpentry/joiners, concreting) etc. In addition, there are often more intricate designs, additional fire safety regulation and stricter compliance standards.

Multiple dwellings also mean more trades are on-site working in close proximity to each other, and on top of that sites are located in more established areas where there is more interaction with existing residents and the general public.

Multi-dwelling Project Requirements
Because multi-dwelling housing creates more risk on-site due to the increased amount of subbies, machinery, equipment, and high-risk work taking place, It’s important that you have the right H&S tools in place for your contractors and a safe system of work e.g. Site Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) for all multi-dwelling projects.

A SSSP for a multi-dwelling build will outline how all involved parties will manage health and safety on-site. This includes details between parties on how they will manage workers, their expectations, roles, and responsibilities to ensure that all relevant site safety information is available.

Due to the potential complexity of multi-dwelling builds, we always recommend a more detailed and customised SSSP to manage risks effectively and reduce overall risk to the business and the workers.

The extra complexities that can need extra planning and control include:

• Pre-planning of the project, because there are many moving parts, schedules and sensitive timelines.
• Detailing key parties, subbies, and their contact details.
• Multiple responsibilities, e.g. principal contractors, multiple teams of trades.
• When more trades are working at the same time, it’s important to take a more thorough approach to coordination and managing hazards.
• The SSSP allows for the detailing of the hazards and risks that are likely to be faced, and what controls are to be used to reduce or eliminate those.
• Plans for emergencies and the site’s response throughout the build.
• Any specific requirements e.g. some state have additional safety requirements for multi-dwelling builds
• More complex site boundaries e.g. large areas, houses that are sold whilst construction continues in other parts, site boundaries in close proximity to pedestrians etc.
• Traffic management needs, e.g. more trade parking, higher traffic flow of machinery or materials, cranes and concrete pump trucks, council requirements etc.
• This list is not exhaustive but all of these complexities are often above and beyond a single dwelling build and need planning, controlling, and communicating to ensure the health and safety of workers and others are managed well.

Got a new multi-dwelling build kicking off?
Project Pro and the HazardCo system are suitable and capable of meeting the H&S requirements of multi-dwelling builds, so you can feel confident that HazardCo can support you as your business grows.

If you are a builder starting to diversify, now’s the right time to review your Health and Safety activity.

That’s where HazardCo comes in. If you’re building 3 or more dwellings within a fenced-off section, you will need HazardCo’s Project Pro. This is a customised project, specifically for your build that gives you everything you need for your team and all the subcontractors you will have coming onto the site.

Here are some key components of Project Pro that will help you cover all your bases.

1. 2 x Hazard Board with QR code
2. Customised SSSP for the project (in consultation with a H&S Advisor)
3. On-site Traffic Management Plan
4. Large HazardCo mesh fence banner
5. Full access to the HazardCo system to guide anyone scanning onto site
6. In app guided activity to support learning
7. Cloud storage of all safety documentation completed on site
8. Reporting and analytics to identify opportunities and trends on site
9. Support from our Customer support and Advisory teams

If you have a new multi-dwelling residential project kicking off, give us a call on 1800 954 702 or email info@hazardco.com to discuss your requirements and what you need to be thinking about from a H&S perspective and the added complexities that come with it.