What is construction work?
Construction work
What is a structure?
What is not construction work?
Appointment of principal contractors
Owner builders and own home renovators
The building and construction industry is diverse with many high risk activities. Contractors, subcontractors and their workers face risks from hazards that must be managed to prevent deaths, injuries and illness.
Construction work
Construction work is work to a structure or part of a structure including its:
- erection, construction, extension or structural alteration
- alteration, conversion, fitting-out, renovation, repair, refurbishment, commissioning
- disassembling or decommissioning.
Construction work also includes:
- any work connected with site preparation
- any excavation or landscaping work done in connection with construction work
- assembling or installing prefabricated components for use in construction work
- taking apart a structure or part of a structure into its prefabricated components
- demolition work or asbestos removal work (prescribed activities).
What is a structure?
A structure includes all types of buildings, walls, or other steel or reinforced concrete construction.
Structures can also be:
- masts, towers, pylons, structural cables or telecommunications structures
- infrastructure or other public-use facilities including:
- underground works such as shafts, tunnels, pipes, pipelines, sea defence works, river works, earthworks or other earth retaining construction
- roads, highways, footpaths, driveways,
- railway lines or sidings, tramway lines
- airfields
- docks, harbours
- water storage or supply systems, sewerage or drainage systems
- electricity or gas generation, transmission or distribution facilities, gasholders
- parks or recreation grounds
- production, storage or distribution facilities for heavy industries, for example refineries
- fixed plant, for example boilers, air conditioning units
- ships or submarines
- scaffolds, formwork, falsework, or other construction designed or used to provide support, access or containment during construction work.
What is not construction work?
Constructing or erecting structures which are to be transported to another place is not construction work, for example constructing a manufactured home or prefabricated building.
Appointment of principal contractors
Clients must appoint a principal contractor where:
- demolition work or asbestos removal work (prescribed activities) is to be done, or
- the estimated final price for the construction work is more than $80 000.
The client must complete a notice of appointment and give a copy of this to the principal contractor and the nearest Workplace Health and Safety Queensland office at least 10 days before construction work starts.
Construction work ends when possession of the workplace is given to the client.
Owner builders and own home renovators
An owner-builder who undertakes construction work with an estimated final price of more than $80 000 may take on a number of roles under the workplace health and safety legislation depending on the extent to which work is contracted out.
These roles could include principal contractor, relevant person or worker. It may be possible for a person to have obligations in more than one role.
An owner-builder will be considered the principal contractor if the owner-builder takes on the role of managing the construction work to the extent that the owner-builder is in control of the building work. In this event, the owner-builder will be bound by the regulations applying to the principal contractor.
Homeowners doing their own renovations do not normally hold obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (PDF, 766 KB) and are therefore, not bound by the construction regulations. However, the regulations and guidance material for the construction industry may help home owners to do their renovations safely.
When doing their own renovations, homeowners should take extra precautions when working around electrical wiring.
Where home owners engage a contractor/s to do construction work the builder and/or contractor is responsible for meeting workplace health and safety requirements.
Homeowners and renovators should be aware of the health and safety issues related to asbestos which may be present in their homes. Two national codes of practice have been adopted and provide practical guidance for the management and removal of asbestos. These codes should be followed. There are also licensing requirements relating to asbestos removal.
Last updated 22 July 2008