Late last week, the Industry Working Group convened to get an overview of the effectiveness of coordinated action taken between 1 February and 15 October to combat the spread of coronavirus within the building and construction industry throughout Victoria. The findings indicated the overall success of numerous industry stakeholders in limiting the spread of COVID-19, but also the huge importance of maintaining strict adherence to the Workplace Directions and the methods deployed to help make those understood by the widest possible audience within our industry.

Despite the overall success of the industry to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in construction, WorkSafe Victoria noted they had issued 116 notices to worksites for improvements to:

• Their High Risk CovidSafe plan
• Screening of employees and visitors
• Access to and use of face masks and sanitiser
• Physical distancing
• Cleaning requirements.

 Master Builders Victoria’s OHS team and the Building and Construction working group has played a central role in ensuring that members have consistent and easy access to the latest information they need to keep their worksites safe and compliant. This includes numerous revisions to the Guidelines for the Building and Construction Industry, of which version 8 is the latest.

The meeting also acknowledged the importance of having worksite resources available in multiple languages to aid in achieving broad-spectrum comprehension of the seriousness of COVIDSafe measures.

While our sector has been fortunate in being able to maintain productivity throughout the pandemic, albeit at a slower pace, vigilance remains crucial to our safety and economic health. Any form of complacency is likely to come at a heavy price for everyone.