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Late last night the Victorian government made the decision to close the construction industry for two weeks in metropolitan Melbourne, City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, and Mitchell Shire.
Exemptions apply to respond to emergencies and perform urgent and essential work to protect health and safety. A limited number of workers can attend the construction site to close it down safely.
Tips to safely secure your site:
- Make sure the building structure is safe and secure
- Switch off power where possible or implemented measures to prevent access to temporary electrical switchboards
- Close off any height access points and removed access to ladders and scaffolds
- Remove any fuel and hazardous chemicals
- Secure voids, filled in or secured trenches and excavations
- Clean up debris to reduce weather creating windblown waste or hazards
- Ensure site fencing and locks are in place
- Make arrangements to return to the supplier or dismantle any plant or equipment that is not required during the shutdown
- Establish a regular site inspections routine to monitor site safety and security
- Check your public liability and contract works insurance policy for how the site is protected when closed
Provided by the HIA Victoria. Find out more about securing your site on the HIA website.
INFORMATION FOR OPERATING CONSTRUCTION SITES IN REGIONAL VICTORIA
State-wide mandatory vaccinations
By Friday 24th of September, all construction workers on a construction site must have:
- one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination
- or made a booking to receive a dose by Saturday 2nd of October
- or received a medical exemption
Both the site operator and employer are responsible for checking the vaccination status of each worker:
- You must record the name of the worker, their vaccination status, who sighted evidence of compliance, the date the evidence was sighted, and what the evidence was
- You are not required to store a copy of the evidence provided by the worker
- We will be in touch soon with a solution to simplify this process
Worker vaccine status evidence:
- One dose vaccine evidence: Immunisation history statement
- Two dose vaccine evidence: Covid-19 digital certificate
- Booking evidence: Confirmation of the booking
- Medical exemption evidence: Exemption must be certified by a specified medical practitioner
Handy Covid-19 vaccination resources:
- If your workers are unsure how to provide evidence of their vaccination status, please send them to this link.
- Additional vaccine slots have been made available for construction workers. Find out how to get a priority vaccine here.
Covid-19 marshals
- All sites must have a Covid marshal who is responsible for ensuring the site follows the site’s CovidSafe Plan, and everyone on site scans in using the Service Victoria app and provides evidence of their vaccination status.
- Find out more about the role of a Covid Marshal
- On a small-scale construction site, a supervisor or manager can perform the role of Covid Marshal, you don’t need to have a separate Covid Marshal.
Travel between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne
Construction workers who live in regional Victoria can’t travel to metropolitan Melbourne or the City of Ballarat to work, and vice versa.
Additional statewide restrictions
- Worker shift bubbles must be in practice, including staggering start, finish and break times, to reduce the mixing of workers in different bubbles
- Food and drink (other than water) can’t be consumed inside. This is to reduce COVID-19 transmission between workers without masks on
We will provide further information to members as soon as it becomes available. It’s important to look after yourself and your crew during these difficult times. Read more about taking care of your mental health.
We’re here to support you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with our advisory team if you would like further information on the Covid-19 restrictions and how they impact you. Give us a call on 1800 954 702 or email info@hazardco.com.
