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2009
Scheme recognition: Simpler for business
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) is pleased to announce further developments in the recognition of the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) across jurisdictions.
The Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC), Helen Marshall, has been seeking agreement from all state and territory authorities involved in administering prequalification systems, to recognise accreditation under the Scheme as satisfying the OHS requirements of their own prequalification systems. To date, formal arrangements have been entered into with South Australia and Queensland (Department of Public Works).
Building on these developments, the FSC is pleased to announce two more jurisdictions recognising the Scheme. Builders and civil constructors already federally accredited will now be deemed to automatically satisfy the OHS requirements under the:
- Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads – Major Works Prequalification Systems (MWPS); and
- The Australian Capital Territory Government Prequalification Scheme.
The FSC said, ‘not only do Scheme recognition arrangements reduce red tape for industry participants, it sends a positive message about recognising the high OHS benchmark established by the Scheme.’
The FSC will continue to encourage other jurisdictions to implement similar arrangements and updates will be provided on this site.
Release of Biannual Data Analysis and an Updated Reporting Pack
Biannual Report January to June 2009
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner has released a report based on data collected for the January to June 2009 biannual reporting period. The report provides a broad summary of the biannual report data collected with comparisons to previous biannual report periods and to industry-wide data.
The Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) is growing rapidly with the number of companies accredited under the Scheme increasing by 53 per cent in the 12 months since the June 2008 reporting period. In the same period, the number of projects reported under the Scheme increase by 80 per cent.
The report is available on the Research page of this website.
Performance Comparison Tool
To accompany the biannual analysis the Performance Comparison Tool (PCT), formerly the Performance Ranking Tool has been updated to reflect the latest data. The PCT enables companies to better understand where they stand in terms of OHS performance within the Scheme.
Some changes have been made to simplify this tool with companies now receiving a score based on their performance out of 100. The number of employees graph has also been removed as it was not a good reflection of the level of building or construction work conducted.
The Performance Comparison Tool can be found on the For Industry menu on this website.
Reporting Pack
An updated Reporting Pack has also been released on the For Industry menu of this website under Reporting reflecting recent changes made to reporting forms and to the FSC Online application. The reporting pack was publically released to make it readily accessible for existing and potential accredited companies.
The Reporting Pack contains explanations and examples of the reporting required under the Scheme, as well as all the reporting forms.
Please contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500 if you have any problems accessing these reports or if you require any further information.
Federal Safety Commissioner Acknowledges OHS Achievements of Accredited Companies
The Federal Safety Commissioner is very pleased to announce that two finalists and one winner at the 2009 Work Safety Awards (Western Australia) are accredited builders under the Australian Government’s Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme).
Of the 51 entries the judging panel selected 14 finalists and those with accreditation under the Scheme are:
Finalists in category 1 – Best safety and health management system in the private sector
- Ertech Pty Ltd – the largest wholly employee owned construction company in Australia specialising in building infrastructure
- Probuild Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd – based in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia, Probuild focuses on shopping centre and school redevelopments
Winner in category 4 – Best individual contribution to safety and health
- Badge Constructions (WA) Pty Ltd – founded in 1982, Badge Constructions has been involved in a wide range of constructions from rural through to residential and commercial
The Work Safety Awards recognise outstanding occupational health and safety management, solutions and innovation in Western Australian workplaces that reduce the risk of work-related injury and disease. The award criteria are agreed to by all states and territories in Australia.
Each year WorkSafe will automatically enter WA winners into the National Safe Work Australia Awards administered by Safe Work Australia.
The FSC congratulates all three of these companies for their excellence in the field of health and safety and look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure a safer workplace for those in the construction industry.
Winners of the Federal Safety Commissioner’s Awards for OHS Excellence Announced
The Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC), Helen Marshall, presented the FSC’s Awards for OHS Excellence at the Master Builders Australia (MBA) National Awards which were held on 7 November 2009 on the Gold Coast.
The winners were Richard Crookes Constructions for the South Coast Correctional Centre NSW (Commercial category) and Leighton Abigroup joint venture for the Gateway Upgrade Project in QLD (Civil/Infrastructure category).
The FSC’s awards promote demonstrated commitment to achieving high standards of OHS management.
Helen said ‘In my role as FSC, I am committed to working with the building and construction industry to create safer building sites to improve the safety of all our workers. By working together, we can build a safety culture in this industry. Whether you are a leader, manager, work, client or sub contractor – we all have a vital role to play.’
The FSC presents the Commercial category award to Richard Crookes Constructions.
The FSC presents the Civil/Infrastructure category award to Leighton Abigroup Joint Venture.
Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) management policies published
From today a range of Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) policies and procedures are available on fsc.gov.au
The Federal Safety Commissioner, Helen Marshall, said the sharing of information on the management of AOD in the workplace will help build a better knowledge base and assist industry to develop and implement effective workplace policies.
The webpage was created in response to the successful AOD Forum facilitated by the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner in April 2009. Following the forum, company CEOs shared AOD information and policies to assist others in the industry develop their own AOD management policies and procedures.
To download copies of company policies please visit the AOD Management Policies and Procedures page.
Federal Safety Commissioner’s 2008-09 Progress Report released - 29 October 2009
The Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC) today released the 2008-09 Progress Report. The report is the fourth in a series that highlights the work done by the FSC and her office during the financial year.
While administration of the Scheme has been the primary focus in 2008-09, safety leadership remained a key priority along with the education and advice activities for our growing number of stakeholders.
The last financial year saw a significant growth in the scope and coverage of the Scheme. For example, there were 147 companies accredited at the end of the period, an increase of 52 per cent from the previous year. Growth of the scheme is still continuing with a further 25 companies gaining accreditation since 1 July this year.
The expansion of the Scheme is also reflected in the increase in the number of Australian Government funded projects covered by the Scheme. At 30 June 2009, 191 projects were covered by the Scheme which represents a threefold increase from the previous year.
The report also includes a summary of the performance of companies accredited under the Scheme.
A copy of the report is available on the Publications Page.
To request a printed copy, please contact the ofsc@deewr.gov.au mailbox or the OFSC assist line on 1800 652 500.
Federal Safety Commissioner, Helen Marshall is presented the 2008-09 Progress Report.
by Graham Harman, Director, Data and Reporting at the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner
Clients delivering better OHS on construction projects - 28 October 2009
A practical resource that helps government agencies become model clients has proven to be invaluable by integrating OHS activities into construction projects.
The resource - The model client: promoting safe construction, was released by the OFSC last year and has been well received by government agencies.
The site OHS inspection checklist has proven to be particularly useful for non-OHS staff to help guide them through a site visit.
The model client resource provides a no-nonsense and systematic approach to integrate OHS activities into the management of construction projects. It adopts a project lifecycle approach and establishes a series of key management actions that can be implemented throughout a construction project.
The advantage of the resource is that agencies can choose to adopt all of the suggested approaches or they can opt to implement the framework incrementally as staff become more familiar and comfortable with the concepts.
A range of OHS resources are available to download from the Publications page.
To receive a hard copy including a CD featuring a Word version of these resources, such as templates, checklists, guidelines, etc. please leave your name and contact details at the OFSC mailbox.
The OFSC welcomes any comments from users of this resource. Feedback can be provided via the OFSC mailbox.
Federal Safety Commissioner to speak at international conference on construction OHS - 2 October 2009
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner is proud to be a sponsor of an upcoming international conference on construction occupational health and safety to be held in Melbourne from 21 to 23 October 2009.
The conference – CIB W099: Planning, Designing and Building a Healthy and Safe Construction Industry - brings together key policy makers and construction industry leaders who will present their views and vision for achieving a paradigm shift in construction occupational health and safety performance in Australia.
The conference also brings leading international academics, researchers and government agents from the United States, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, who will share the latest research into a variety of current issues in construction occupational health and safety.
The Federal Safety Commissioner, Helen Marshall, will be speaking on the Industry Day on Wednesday 21 October 2009.
The OFSC-sponsored keynote speaker is Matt Gillen, Construction Sector Program Coordinator, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), USA. Mr Gillen's topic is 'The US Policy Approach - The National Occupational Research Agenda'.
For further information about the conference visit the CIB WO99 Conference website.
New fact sheet: Advice for Funding Recipients - 29 September 2009
The Federal Safety Commissioner has released a new fact sheet to assist recipients of Australian Government funding to implement the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme).
Funding recipients, including state governments, universities and other organisations, play a vital role in assisting the Federal Safety Commissioner to achieve cultural change to improve OHS in the building and construction industry. Advice for Funding Recipients: Applying the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme outlines the key responsibilities of organisations receiving Australian Government funding for building work.
- Advice for Funding Recipients: Applying the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme
( PDF 499KB | RTF 27KB)
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner is keen to assist Australian Government agencies and their funding recipients with their obligations under the Scheme. If you would like to order printed copies of this fact sheet, or require further information or assistance, please contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
Accreditation Scheme data shows encouraging results - 21 August 2009
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner has produced a report based on data collected for the July to December 2008 biannual reporting period. The report provides a broad summary of the biannual report data collected with comparisons to previous biannual report periods and to industry-wide data.
The Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) is growing rapidly with the number of companies accredited under the Scheme increasing by 85 per cent in the 12 months since the December 2007 reporting period. A significant increase was also reported in the coverage of projects, with the number of government funded projects captured by the Scheme increasing by 145 per cent.
Accredited companies are showing encouraging results on Scheme projects in relation to their lost time injury frequency rates and medically treated injury frequency rates. However, while fatality incidence rates are falling and are significantly lower that the industry as a whole, further improvement in eliminating fatalities is required.
The reports are available on the Federal Safety Commissioner Reports page of this web site.
Please contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500 if you have any problems accessing these reports.
Review of Audit Criteria - 3 August 2009 As part of reaccreditation, the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) has taken the opportunity to review the current audit criteria used for accrediting companies and reviewing companies as part of maintaining accreditation.
The focus of this review has been to develop one set of criteria to be applied in whole or part to all audits, replacing the two sets of criteria that are currently used. The review has also reduced duplication, refined the wording of criteria and made the audit requirements clearer.
This revised criteria, known as the OFSC Audit Criteria, will be used for all audits from 3 August 2009. That includes all accreditation and reaccreditation audits, as well as project safety audits, special audits and maintenance audits.
As always, prior to any audit the criteria to be reviewed will be sent to companies.
Related information:
For further information please contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
FSC Online now available - 1 July 2009
The Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC) has released a new webpage for applying for accreditation to the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme.
In releasing this page the FSC noted that it provided a ‘one-stop-shop’ to apply for accreditation or reaccreditation.
From this webpage, applicants can now either complete an online submission through FSC online, or download a blank application form that can be emailed or posted to the OFSC.
Other tools to assist with the accreditation and reaccreditation process include:
- an Application and Evidence Checklist (this helps ensure all steps in the accreditation process including providing sufficient documentary evidence have been completed)
- a FSC Online User Guide with step by step instructions to help applicants through the online process
- ‘Information for Applicants’ provides a summary 3 page overview on the desktop assessment and accreditation audit process
- examples of acceptable documentary evidence are also incorporated into the blank application form and the User Guide for additional guidance; and
- technical support is also available through the FSC Assist Line.
For this documentation and more information on the Scheme see the Apply for Accreditation page or contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
OFSC targets Mobile Plant and Equipment - 16 June 2009
Mobile Plant and Equipment remains one of the greatest causes of injury in the Australian building and construction industry.
As part of the ‘reaccreditation’ process, the OFSC will be taking the opportunity to target Mobile Plant and Equipment as the Hazard to be reviewed during reaccreditation audits. A factsheet ‘Reaccreditation Targeted Hazard – Mobile Plant and Equipment’ has just been released explaining the process.
Information and findings from the audits will be used to assist builders to improve management of mobile plant and equipment.
For more information please see the factsheet or contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
Changes to the OHS Accreditation Scheme
From 19 May 2009, some building works funded under the Nation Building and Jobs Plan will not require the application of the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme).
For the economic stimulus measures to have the desired effect on the economy, it is essential that the stimulus to be provided from the Nation Building Jobs Plan, flow quickly into areas of need. For this reason alone the Government has decided to not require the application of the Scheme to certain projects funded under the Nation Building and Jobs Plan.
The Scheme will continue to apply to Australian Government funded building work outside of the Nation Building and Jobs Plan, subject to Scheme thresholds.
For more information please see the factsheet or contact the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
Understanding auditing: new fact sheets available – 18 May 2009
Auditing is a compulsory condition of becoming and staying accredited under the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme. It’s therefore important that companies know where they stand when it comes to auditing.
That’s why the Federal Safety Commissioner has released a new set of fact sheets dedicated to the auditing process – these fact sheets explain how audits are conducted, who conducts them and what companies can do if they have any concerns about the auditing process.
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner’s qualified contracted auditors – known as Federal Safety Officers or FSOs – are dedicated to meeting the high standards set through accreditation. These high standards are essential in order to ensure the safety of workers and their families.
Both the OFSC and FSOs are committed to working with companies in a genuine spirit of transparency, collaboration and cooperation. If you have any concerns or questions about the auditing process you can contact the OFSC’s Auditing Team through the FSC Assist Line on 1800 652 500.
Alcohol and Other Drugs Forum a Success - 22 April 2009
The Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) facilitated a successful Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Forum in Melbourne on 8 April 2009, with over 100 people attending the booked out event.
People attending the forum included industry OHS managers, workplace safety regulators and representatives from unions and industry associations.
The AOD Forum was part of the OFSC’s ongoing commitment to improving OHS in the building and construction industry. It provided an opportunity for participants to hear from a broad range of speakers, covering both academic perspectives and practical experiences.
The event was also a valuable networking platform, allowing participants to share their views and highlight the key AOD issues impacting on their workplace. Feedback on the forum has been of a very positive nature.
The OFSC is preparing an issues paper which will summarise the main themes raised during the day. The issues paper and all forum presentations will be made available on this site in the near future.
Picture: Helen Marshall at the Alcohol and Other Drugs Forum on 8 April.
Get ‘Reaccredited’ - 25 March 2009
OHS accredited companies will soon have the opportunity to get ‘reaccredited’.
‘ Reaccreditation ’ is an essential step for companies wanting to retain their accreditation under the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) past their current accreditation expiry date.
To allow companies to get in early, the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) will soon release details on how to apply.
The reaccreditation process will involve submitting an application to the OFSC. Applications will be subject to a desktop assessment and an on-site audit.
Accreditation under the Scheme lasts for up to three years, with the first accreditations due to expire at the end of 2009. Accredited companies should apply well in advance of their current expiry dates.
More information for both accredited companies and government agencies will be available on this site in the coming months.
Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Forum - Melbourne - 8 April 2009
Helen Marshall, the Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC), has announced details of an AOD Forum to be held in Melbourne on Wednesday 8 April 2009. The Forum will be tailored specifically for the building and construction industry and has been organised in response to feedback from industry stakeholders who expressed an interest in learning more about the impact of AOD in the workplace.
In announcing this Forum, Helen said “this is a great opportunity for participants to share ideas, hear from expert speakers and discuss practical responses. We have an exciting line up of speakers from a range of backgrounds and I expect there will be some rigorous discussion throughout the day.”
Some of the confirmed speakers include: Dr Ken Pidd, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction; Trevor Sharp, National and NSW Project Coordinator for the Building Trades Group Drug and Alcohol Program; and Chris Parker, who has worked in the industry for many years and will talk about his personal experience and role in addressing AOD issues in the workplace.
There is no charge to attend, although numbers are limited so if you would like to express interest in attending this forum please see the forum invitation (PDF 105KB) and register by Friday 20 February 2009. Your registration will be confirmed by Friday 27 February 2009.
Health of the Industry - 13 February 2009 A small survey recently undertaken by the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) reveals ‘diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue caused by incidents such as slips, trips and falls’ is considered to be the number one health issue for building and construction companies.
Focusing on health and fitness issues affecting employees in the workplace, the survey asked participating companies to indicate health issues of most concern and the strategies they use to address problem areas.
The next health issue listed as causing concern was alcohol and other drugs (AOD). Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs and neoplasms were also listed as key health issues.
The majority of companies noted they had policies in place to address health and fitness in the workplace, although the length and subject matter varied significantly from company to company.
Undertaken by a sample of accredited companies in December 2008, the information gathered from the questionnaire will be used by the OFSC to help identify areas of health where companies may require additional information and assistance. To this end, the OFSC is planning an AOD Forum for early April as part of the overall health strategy. This free Forum will provide industry stakeholders with an opportunity to share ideas and hear from expert speakers. More information on the Forum will be released shortly.
We are also very interested in gaining your views on health issues affecting the building and construction industry. We welcome your feedback through our email address at ofsc@deewr.gov.au
As always, we are also interested in hearing about initiatives your company has put into place to combat particular OHS issues. By sharing information and lessons learnt, you can be part of the drive to create a positive cultural change in this industry.
Reducing ‘Red Tape’ Through Scheme Recognition - 9 January 2009
Scheme recognition is a key priority for the OFSC in 2008–09. There are currently several OHS prequalification schemes operating across Australia with varying OHS requirements. The Office is talking with all state and territory authorities involved in administering prequalification schemes, with the aim to reduce the administrative burden on industry participants through scheme recognition arrangements. We are pleased to announce that the Queensland Department of Public Works have agreed to recognise the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme) for the OHS component of its prequalification scheme. Contractors accredited under the Scheme will now be deemed to satisfy the OHS accreditation requirements for the Queensland Government’s Prequalification (PQC) System for building industry contractors and consultants.
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