Protecting workers from heat stress
Inspectors from our Brisbane central region recently commenced heat stress audits on tier one and tier two construction workplaces, with 41 proactive site assessments completed to 4 February. Preliminary findings have been very positive indicating that all audited sites were aware of heat as a hazard and had processes in place to assess heat-related risks.
While there was some variability in how procedures were documented, the controls implemented to assess and communicate risk, address worker monitoring and protection, environmental controls and emergency preparedness showed strong regulatory compliance.
All employers have a legal obligation to protect workers from heat-related illness under work health and safety laws. To support businesses to keep their workers safe, we have developed a range of helpful resources including:
- Heat stress calculator
- guidance on managing the risk of heat stress
- Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021 (PDF, 0.57 MB)
More information
Further information is available on heat stress