Already this year, 18 matters related to falls risks are the subject of comprehensive investigation with a view to potential criminal charges, while another 21 businesses have received formal written warning letters, which will be taken into account should further breaches be identified.
This is on top of court fines, undertakings and costs totalling more than $1.65 million for 36 employers over fall related risks last year. Of those, 26 were employers in the construction industry, which experiences more serious injuries due to falls than any other.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said construction inspectors were referring duty holders for legal action, regardless of whether an incident had taken place.
"It's too late to act once someone has fallen, that's why inspectors are cracking down on all observed falls risks, including considering more serious action on issues that might previously have first prompted an improvement notice," Mr Jenkin said.
"Falls from height continue to be a leading cause of fatalities and workplace harm in the construction industry, despite well-known prevention measures."
More than 1,400 workers, an average of four people a day, were injured due to falls from heights in Victoria last year. Tragically, two workers lost their lives due to falls in 2024, with both fatalities currently under investigation.
Castlemaine father Brett Struhs knows too well the horrific cost of a workplace fall.
It was lunchtime on Friday 30 November 2018 when Brett took a phone call that would shatter his family's life forever. He learned that his son Kyle, 21, had fallen from a ladder while working as a solar panel installer in Bendigo.
Brett and his wife spent the next few hours living every parent's nightmare, driving to reach their son after being told he was air-lifted to Melbourne, only to turn around and head back to Bendigo when they learned his condition was too unstable to be flown.
When they arrived at the hospital, Brett and his wife received the crushing news that Kyle had died a short while earlier.
"It's changed our lives dramatically. Every birthday, Christmas, Fathers' Day, Mothers' Day - there are so many things that remind you of having Kyle around, and it doesn't get any easier," Brett said.
"The pain's always there, you just learn to live with it."
Sadly, Brett's family is not alone in their loss. In the past five years, 36 Victorian workers have lost their lives as a result of falls from height.
WorkSafe construction inspectors are also conducting week-long, targeted inspection programs. Recent blitzes in Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham saw inspectors visit 56 sites and issue 73 notices, including 10 for falls hazards such as incomplete scaffolding or working at height without guard rails.
Mr Jenkin said preventing falls was an enforcement priority for WorkSafe and the risk needed to be considered and managed across all industries and trades.
"Whether you're a builder, a subcontractor, employer or anyone with control or management of a workplace - health and safety is your responsibility," he said.
"Fall prevention isn't an optional extra, it's the standard and WorkSafe will take the strongest possible action against those who fail to uphold it."
For Brett, the message that falls can and should be prevented is a painful one - but it's a message he's passionate about sharing in the hope that it may prevent other families from experiencing the loss he and his family continue to endure.
"Kyle only fell 2.4 metres - people don't realise you can fall that far and die," Brett said.
"Solar installers might only be on site for a day, and they're trying to get in and out as soon as possible, but if there was scaffolding, guard rails, or even a harness in place, perhaps Kyle might still be alive today."
To prevent falls from height employers should implement the highest possible measures from the five levels in the hierarchy of controls:
- Level 1 Eliminate the risk by, where practicable, doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction.
- Level 2 Use a passive fall prevention device such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, safety mesh or elevating work platforms.
- Level 3 Use a positioning system, such as a travel-restraint system, to ensure employees work within a safe area.
- Level 4 Use a fall arrest system, such as a harness, catch platform or safety nets, to limit the risk of injuries in the event of a fall.
- Level 5 Use a fixed or portable ladder, or implement administrative controls.
