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The Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme?
What is the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme?
Who does the Scheme apply to?
What is ‘building work’?
What is a ‘builder’?
What is a directly funded project?
When does direct funding not apply?
What is an indirectly funded project?
When does indirect funding not apply?
What is safe design?
What is the difference between the Scheme and the state and territory prequalification schemes?
What is the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme?
The Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) operates such that only companies accredited under the Scheme are able to contract as head contractors for Australian Government building and construction projects, subject to certain thresholds.
The Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005 and the Building and Construction Industry Improvement (Accreditation Scheme) Regulations 2005 provide for the establishment and operation of the Scheme.
The Scheme enables the Government to use its influence as a client and provider of capital to improve the building and construction industry’s OHS performance. The Australian Government aims to foster a culture where work must be performed safely, as well as on time and on budget.
Who does the Scheme apply to?
Accreditation under the Scheme is a requirement for builders who wish to enter into head contracts for building work that is funded directly or indirectly by the Australian Government, subject to certain thresholds.
Builders who are not accredited under the Scheme may still tender for head contracts, but they cannot enter into a contract for building work until they have achieved accreditation.
Scheme accreditation is not a requirement for subcontractors. However, the head builder will need to comply with the requirements of accreditation to ensure there is an effective subcontractor OHS management system in place.
What is 'building work'?
Read the fact sheet.
What is a 'builder'?
Read the fact sheet.
What is a directly funded project?
Read the fact sheet.
When does direct funding not apply?
The Scheme does not apply to building work directly funded by the Australian Government if:
a) the building work is undertaken outside Australia
b) the contract for the building work was entered into before 1 March 2006 or
c) the contract for the building work was entered into on or after 1 March 2006 but before 1 October 2007 and the contract has a value of less than $6 million.
The Scheme does not apply to building work if the value of the work is below the specified direct funding thresholds.
The Scheme also does not apply to subcontractors engaged by a head contractor to perform building work.
What is an indirectly funded project?
Read the fact sheet.
When does indirect funding not apply?
The Scheme does not apply to building work indirectly funded by the Australian Government if:
a) the building work is undertaken outside Australia
b) the funding for the project was obtained under a grant or funding agreement that was entered into before 1 October 2007 (for example National Projects under AusLink 1) or
c) the contract for the building work was entered into before 1 October 2007.
The Scheme also does not apply to:
- building and construction work if the value of the work is below the specified indirect funding thresholds
- subcontractors who are engaged by a head contractor to perform building work.
What is safe design?
Read the fact sheet.
What is the difference between the Scheme and the state and territory prequalification schemes?
The state/territory prequalification schemes are broad schemes encompassing many elements such as finance, OHS and environmental requirements. Each scheme varies in its approach to OHS.
In contrast, the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme is solely focused on OHS and covers Australian Government funded building and construction projects.
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