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$vuetify.icons.faPhone1300 650 620

Eliminating risks

Eliminating risks

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It’s essential for businesses and employees to prioritise health and safety at work. The good news is there are many ways to improve safety onsite. Meet two successful companies, SSS Roof Scaffolding and Cosentino, who explain how their businesses reduce risks and encourage long-term behavioural change.

HIA content team

hia.com.au/housing

In the construction industry, safety is not just a buzzword; it's a lifeline. The stakes are high, especially when you consider that falls from heights are the number-one cause of traumatic fatalities in the NSW building and construction industry. With stringent regulations and hefty fines for non-compliance—spot fines of up to $720 for individuals and $3600 for businesses—it's crucial to invest in reliable safety solutions.

Why Work Smart Platforms?

Work Smart Platforms, part of the SSS Roof Scaffold Group, has been in the business for more than 20 years, designing, manufacturing, and selling international award-winning passive fall protection roof scaffolding systems. Once installed with handrails and planks, these systems negate the need for additional harnesses, positioning, or fall arrest systems, providing a safe working platform and perimeter fall protection.

The Work Smart Platforms, part of the SSS Roof Scaffold Group, can be installed and utilised in minutes.

Key features

  • Durability and adaptability

Made from hot-dipped galvanised steel, the entirely modular roof scaffolding system is built to last. The main components include a professional contractor bracket adjustable to suit roof pitches from 22-45 degrees, handrail support, and end protection that can double as a workbench mount.

  • Quick installation

Time is money, and Work Smart Platforms understands that. The entire roof scaffold system can be installed and utilised in minutes, with various mounting options available to suit all types of roofs—tile, iron, or slate—without damaging the roof surface or compromising its waterproofing.

Work Smart Platforms are made from hot-dipped galvanised steel.
This modular roof scaffolding system is built to last.

The imperative of safety measures

In the construction industry, the consequences of neglecting safety can be severe and life-altering. 

Take, for instance, a 36-year-old worker who fell more than three metres from defective staging to a concrete floor, resulting in permanent disability and an end to his career as a sprayer and fireproofer. In another case, a scaffolder erected a scaffold that collapsed, causing an apprentice carpenter to narrowly avoid a three-metre fall. 

Both incidents underscore the critical importance of reliable safety systems. Work Smart Platforms could have prevented these near misses and life-altering incidents, reinforcing the need for robust, reliable safety solutions on worksites.

In an industry where safety can never be compromised, Work Smart Platforms offer a reliable, cost-effective solution. With features designed for quick installation, durability and adaptability, these systems are the gold standard in worksite safety. Elevate your safety standards to new heights with Work Smart Platforms.

Cosentino’s factories are 100 per cent powered by renewable energy with 38,000 solar panels.
The Dekton Pietra Kode collection has ultra-compact surfaces from Cosentino.

Cosentino: Global leaders in sustainable manufacturing processes

‘At Cosentino, we are global leaders in sustainable manufacturing processes. That’s why our factories are 100 per cent powered by renewable energy with 38,000 solar panels and we embrace the circular economy by producing +3 million m2 of slabs made from recycled or reclaimed material,’ explains the Cosentino's spokesperson.

‘We calculate our footprint from raw material sourcing to end-of-life and offset unavoidable emissions by promoting biodiversity and restoring the natural environment, in partnership with the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.’

Next generation of biocomposites 

‘Working with the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, we’re developing the next generation of biocomposites. Here, all their components are from renewable sources and develop and implement advanced waste recovery and recycling strategies,’ continues The Cosentino's spokesperson.

‘In 2022, Cosentino invested 37 million euros in environmental and health and safety assets and 27 million euros in innovation and research and development, because we want to create products that have a positive impact on the world around us.

‘We prioritise the development of sustainable, low-silica and carbon-neutral, with higher percentages of recycled materials and a longer life cycle.’

Using TSP technology, Cosentino can sinter mineral particles, making them bond with each other.
Dekton’s Onirika range in Daze recreates a strong Calacatta structure with thick veins.

From cradle to grave

‘Dekton® is the only carbon neutral from cradle-to-grave product within its category and Sunlit Days was the first Silestone® collection to be carbon neutral,’ says the spokesperson.

Cosentino only produces Silestone® HybriQ® with Q40 or Q10, with 40 per cent or less and 10 per cent or less, and as low as three per cent, crystalline silica content.

‘Our Sensa granite and natural stone products offer a 15-year, certified, written warranty, the best available to consumers and helping reduce waste by avoiding constant replacement.

‘The research and efforts to achieve this major milestone is the result of the company’s ongoing commitment towards a better future for the industry. It’s because we are committed to efforts that prevent health and safety risks throughout the value chain,’ says Alexandra Tomasi.

First published on 25 January 2024

Disclaimer: This article was compiled with contributions from SSS Roof Scaffolding and Cosentino

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