SafeWork NSW targets Wollongong construction firm for safety breaches

The site at 20-26 Young Street in the CBD was already well known to SafeWork NSW, before a public tip-off this week sent inspectors back there again.

"Photos supplied by a member of the public appears to show workers exposed to fall-from-heights risks," a SafeWork NSW spokesman said.

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Photos obtained by the Illawarra Mercury show a number of workers sitting and standing on a building awning at least three metres above a concrete ground. The workers were not harnessed or using scaffolding.

The SafeWork spokesman said inspectors attended the site after the tip-off and issued further notices.

"SafeWork NSW has attended a construction site at 26 Young Street Wollongong this week and on other occasions, issuing 14 prohibition, 50 improvement and three penalty notices [fines] in relation to workplace safety," he said.

Prohibition orders are issued for serious risks to health or safety, and work must stop immediately.

"A prohibition notice may include directions to stop the activity or to change the way the activity is done, to prevent illness or injury," SafeWork NSW's website states.

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Improvement notices are issued when safety issues must be fixed, generally the workplace can continue to operate while the notice is being actioned.

Site operator TQM Design and Construct issued the Mercury with a statement which said it was "committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all individuals" involved on construction projects.

"We collaborate closely with SafeWork NSW to ensure a safer work environment for everyone involved. We take the matter of workplace safety very seriously, and are actively and continually addressing any concerns no matter how minor raised by SafeWork NSW and our staff during regular safety inspections," the statement said.

"We look forward to the successful completion of the project and welcome our purchaser undertaking pre-settlement inspections in the coming weeks."

The site TQM is working on will become a 16-storey mixed use development, with 62 residential units, six commercial tenancies and parking for 92 vehicles.

In August 2022, the worksite nextdoor - the 21-storey Wonder Wollongong apartment block - was issued a stop work order due to a "minefield" of safety issues.

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Construction workers are overrepresented in workplace accidents in the Illawarra, with 59 workers injured on worksites so far (to July 27) during 2023.

During a one week period in July, three tradies fell from a height in the region, leaving two injured and one dead.

Oak Flats man Connor Pringle, 20, fell at a Burradoo worksite on July 24 and later died from his injuries. On July 27, a 20-year-old contractor fell from the roof of Kiama Woolworths during the store's multi-million renovation; and on July 20, a 22-year-old man was impaled on a metal rod during construction of a Bulli home.

South Coast Labor Council president Tina Smith was shocked to hear so many notices had been issued for the one worksite.

"If you had a son or daughter going off to that workplace every day I'd be very nervous," she said.

Ms Smith said young workers are often unaware of their rights, or too nervous to say something about safety issues.

"It's up to the construction site owner to have a safe workplace, the buck should stop with them," she said.

The Mercury contacted the CFMEU (Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union) for comment but received no response.

The SafeWork spokesman said inspectors will continue to monitor safety at the Young Street site, and will continue to work with site controllers to improve safety.

The public can log safety concerns through SafeWork NSW's Speak Up App or by calling 13 10 50.

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