Construction work at heights of two metres or more in South Australia will now be considered ‘high-risk’ under new work health and safety regulations
The South Australian government has made changes to work health and safety regulations to reduce the height limitation of high-risk construction work from three metres to two metres.
The change to the definition of high-risk construction work in the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA) will align the state with the national model WHS regulations and other Australian states and territories, and has been made in consultation with key unions and industry associations.
A transition date of July 1, 2026, will allow time for industry to be educated about the regulations before they come into effect.
From this date on, SA construction businesses will be required to prepare and adhere to a Safe Work Method Statement for work, which involves a risk of a person falling more than two metres.
The legally required document clearly outlines the work to be undertaken, identifies potential hazards, and details the steps to control and manage those risks.
Before any high-risk work begins, the SWMS must be developed in consultation with workers and made readily available on site.
“Falls from heights constitute a significant proportion of workplace injuries and deaths in the construction industry,” SafeWork SA executive director Glenn Farrell says.
“This change to the regulatory framework will mean employers can no longer erroneously rely on the higher height threshold to avoid providing adequate fall protection, particularly in the residential sector.”