From 11:59pm on 16 August 2021 the following changes will need to be adopted by all metropolitan Melbourne construction sites. 

General requirements 

  • All sites to limit movement between multiple sites
  • Allow no more than one worker per four square metres of enclosed workspace
  • All workers require an Authorised Worker and Provider Permit issued by an employer, to be presented to Victoria Police or Authorised Officers on request
  • All workers must wear face masks indoors and outdoors, unless a lawful reason not to wear one applies.
  • All employees, supervisors and on-site specialists minimise car-pooling to and from work, except in limited circumstances

COVID Safe Plan 

  • Construction workplaces must have a Construction COVIDSafe Plan which is specifically tailored to construction businesses
  • The Construction COVIDSafe Plan supports your business to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and applies the Six principles of COVIDSafe workplaces
  • You must regularly review your Construction COVIDSafe Plan to ensure it is current and reflects the latest advice
  • COVID Safe Plan

What are worker number limits for early-stage residential land development? 

Each early-stage residential land development site will: 

  • Follow density restrictions of no more than 10 workers per hectare.
  • All workers count towards the density restrictions.

What is considered an early-stage land development project? 

An early-stage land development project comprises all civil works undertaken on open air, large greenfield sites that are associated with and preparatory to construction of multiple individual residential dwellings or industrial or commercial development on that site (including site remediation and site preparation works, construction of utilities and construction of roads, bridges, stormwater/flood management works and trunk infrastructure). 

For residential developments, once subdivision occurs, the construction of that dwelling on a part of the site is regarded as a small-scale construction project.

For large-scale residential development (e.g., retirement village) with a single entity responsible for construction, once dwellings are commenced, it will be considered large-scale construction. 

In relation to early-stage land development for industrial or commercial development, once construction of a building, warehouse or physical structure has commenced, it will be considered a large-scale construction site. 

What is considered construction of critical and essential infrastructure? 

Construction of critical and essential infrastructure is not subject to business operating reductions.

It means: 

  • Construction or maintenance (including civil works and building activities) of critical and essential infrastructure that is urgently required for the purposes of sustaining human health, safety and wellbeing, regardless of whether those activities are privately or publicly funded
  • Activities prescribed by government from time to time as “State Critical Infrastructure Projects”
  • Construction and maintenance for the purposes of national security and defence.

The expectation is that very few activities will meet the above tests.

Project proponents can contact [email protected] to apply for a determination by the Chief Health Officer.  

What are the rules for civil construction? 

All civil works and all building and construction activities (whether publicly or privately funded) are subject to the large-scale, small-scale and early-stage land development restrictions unless those activities: 

  • Are any works up to (and including) the ‘base stage’ works for small-scale residential construction, under the definition of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995
  • Constitute construction of critical and essential infrastructure (see above) 
  • Constitute critical repairs to any premises where required for emergency and safety, as provided for by the Authorised Providers and Authorised Worker List.

What is the definition of a worker? 

Workers refer to people working on a site including, but not limited to, owners, managers, employees, contractors, workers on labour hire, and security. 

Workers do not include suppliers and deliveries (e.g., concrete testers and the like) who are only present onsite for a short period of time, and these do not count towards the daily worker limits. 

What is the definition of specialist contractors? 

  • Appliance installers
  • Asphalters
  • Brick layers
  • Cabinet installers
  • Carpenters
  • Carpet layers
  • Caulkers
  • Cladding installers
  • Concreters
  • Earthworks and drainage specialists
  • Electricians
  • Engineers
  • Floor installers
  • Floor layers
  • Flora and fauna specialists
  • Garage door installers
  • Gas contractors
  • Geotechnical specialists
  • Gold class riggers
  • Heritage and cultural heritage specialists
  • Insulation installers
  • Joiners
  • Landscape architects
  • Mechanics who install and repair plant
  • Mobile Cranes – Operators and dogmen
  • Painters
  • Plasterers
  • Plumbers, including roof plumbers
  • Post Tensioners
  • Precast installers
  • Renderers
  • Retaining wall specialists
  • Security system installers
  • Sewer contractors
  • Shower screen/mirror installers
  • Solar installers
  • Sprinkler fitters
  • Steel fixers
  • Telecommunications installers
  • Termite specialists
  • Tile layers, including roof tilers
  • Traffic engineers
  • Vertical access riggers
  • Water proofers
  • Welders
  • Window and glass installers/glaziers

Under the current restrictions, can new construction contracts in metropolitan Melbourne be signed and commenced? 

Construction contracts can be signed and commenced if they are works relating to a permitted construction work premises: 

  • Building and non-building construction (including residential)
  • Construction of critical and essential infrastructure and services to support these projects, and other construction in line with restrictions
  • Critical repairs to any premises, are allowed, where required for emergency or safety

Employers of permitted construction work must have a COVIDSafe Plan in place for each workplace/site. 

Are machine operators allowed to operate across different sites? 

Specialist contractors can visit up to three sites per week. This includes mobile crane operators and vertical access riggers among other relevant roles. However, we ask these workers to minimise interactions with people on site as much as possible to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 from site to site. 

Can supervisors and/or managers for permitted workplaces move between sites? 

The current restrictions are designed to limit movement as much as possible.

Workers, including supervisors and managers, must not work at more than one site unless it is not reasonable and practical for the supervisor/manager to be limited to only one work site. 

If there is a genuine reason why the supervisor/manager cannot be limited to one site, the employer must have systems of work in place to minimise the number of workers working across multiple sites and maintain a record of all workers who do so. 

For small-scale construction, supervisors can move between sites and specialist contractors can move between up to three sites per week.

These arrangements must be recorded and the requirements of the COVIDSafe Plan adhered to at each site. 

I’m not on the specialist contractor list, how many sites can I visit a week? 

Unless you are on the specialist contractor list or otherwise permitted (e.g., safety specialist, undertaking statutory functions or site supervisor for small-scale construction), you can only work at one site. 

What about architects, surveyors, auditors, building inspectors and engineers? 

Workers that provide architecture, engineering, surveying, building inspection or compliance services or statutory functions must work from home where possible.

Where these workers are required to attend sites for inspection and safety purposes, they are counted as workers and the limits apply to them. 

Specialist contractors who need to move between sites are permitted to visit no more than three different sites a week, except where those visits are required to meet a minimum statutory obligation or requirement. 

Under the current restrictions, are specialists who provide safety services limited to the number of sites they visit each week? 

Specialists who provide safety services which enable a permitted work premises to safely undertake permitted activity are not limited in the number of sites they can visit per week. 

This includes specialists who install critical OHS equipment, including scaffolding, safety rails, guardrails, stair void protection systems, other critical safety equipment/installations, traffic controllers, asbestos removalists, and those who conduct safety inspections (including fire safety services) and training talks. 

‘Concreters’ are included in the list of specialist contractors. Does this include associated trades, such as site set-out specialists? 

Yes, a reference to ‘concreters’ under the specialist contractors list includes associated trades, including site set-out specialists.