MAKING SAFETY MANDATRY

摘要

GEOFF CRITTENDEN, Over the past 12 months, Weld Australia has been shocked at the number of unsafe steel structures reported by industry. The primary cause of these safety concerns is welding that is not fit for purpose and does not comply with recognised international and Australian standards. Australian standards are as good, if not better than, anywhere else in the world. The problem is that very few Australian standards are supported by regulation or legislation and are therefore only applied on a voluntary basis. Without any compulsion to manufacture or procure products according to a recognised standard, companies take the lowest-cost option, which is often detrimental to public safety and the safety of on-site workers. When product is inspected and found to be non-compliant, many companies refuse to accept responsibility for rectifying the structure, opting instead to take the risk or trying to pass on liability to another part of the supply chain.