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Site security on housing construction sites - NSW
In NSW, you need to ensure that your work site does not expose members of the public to risk. Where hazards are present on your site you need to ensure that they are controlled in order to prevent injury or death. If they are uncontrolled, you need to ensure that members of the public are not exposed to them.
Thursday, 26th September 2019
Do I need a site fence?
You will need a perimeter fence if your risk assessment identifies that this is the only way to control or minimise the risks.
You should strongly consider installing a fence around the site where it is:
- near a school or route where children travel to and from school
- close to parks and recreational areas
- in a built-up area.
Remember that unauthorised persons, including children, may not be deterred from entering your site by signs alone. Ideally, all hazards on site should be controlled. However, this may not always be achievable so fences may help in restricting access.
Considerations when putting up a fence
The fence must be adequate for its purpose and it’s important that you consider whether the fence:
- is of a suitable height to deter entry (e.g. 1.8m high)
- is constructed from dedicated materials
- is difficult to climb
- is difficult to gain access to underneath
- is stable and able to withstand anticipated loads
- has secure gates and joints that do not present a weak point for entry.
Sheets of reinforcing mesh should not be used for site fencing as children can climb it too easily and the protruding ends of sheets could result in injuries.
Note that your fence will need to stay up until the work activity on the site no longer presents a risk to unauthorised persons.
To find out more, contact HIA's Building Services team.
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