Life-threatening guesswork on building sites ‘not on’: CFMEU

BUILDING safety officers with Australia’s biggest trade union have warned builders and engineers that the use of non-certified timber components on construction sites will not be tolerated and they could be responsible for any costs associated with the removal of condemned material.

A builder on Sydney’s north shore last week was instructed to “pull it all down” after an inspection by Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union deemed the loading standards of formwork to be life-threatening.

“This is one of several cases at Sydney building sites where timber components have not been certified to Australian plywood industry standards and are without visible stamping for grade and source of product,” CFMEU product safety officer Rick Resch said.

“There is no way our members will be put at risk by guess work,” he said. “We have put builders – and engineers – on notice that they will be considered unqualified if they specify timber that fails to meet Australian standards.

“And we have no qualms about identifying anyone who works with high-risk sub-standard material.”

The 120,000-member strong CFMEU has come down hard on the use of non-compliant plywood products, much of it traced to Asian imports.

At least eight building projects have been put on notice in recent months after uncertified plywood was used contrary to regulations for safety.

In one serious case, plywood used for formwork on a multi-storey office complex in Parramatta that had failed all Australian standards for structural integrity and bonding had been approved for use by the builder and two engineers.

The material was removed from the site under instructions from the NSW WorkCover Authority and replaced with certified Australian-manufactured product.

Mr Resch said a full-time five-person CFMEU task force was informing building contractors and their engineers that they must produce evidence that timber products are fit for purpose and are clearly stamped to meet appropriate structural standards.

CFMEU safety officers are referring to the LVL scaffold plank identification manual produced by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia.

“The manuals are now a common reference tool for CFMEU safety officers in all states and are used regularly during on-site inspections,” Mr Resch said.