ARTICLE · 11 SEPTEMBER 2007

New Obligations For Construction Stakeholders In Queensland

Clayton Utz

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The National Standard for Construction Work aims to protect persons from the hazards associated with construction work, assigns responsibilities to individuals to identify these hazards, and either eliminate them, or, where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks they pose.

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The National Standard for Construction Work [NOHSC: 1016 (2005)] was declared by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission in April 2005. At a national level, the Standard aims to protect persons from the hazards associated with construction work, assigns responsibilities to individuals to identify these hazards, and either eliminate them, or, where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks they pose.

On 1 July 2007, amendments to the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1999 (Qld) commenced to bring the Act into line with the Standard. The changes introduce new obligations for parties involved in, with some exceptions, "construction work" including clients, project managers, principal contractors and designers of structures. The fundamental impact of these amendments is greater responsibility on persons other than traditional workplace health and safety obligation holders, such as persons in control of workplaces, manufacturers and suppliers of substances and

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