The Hunter Valley has been designated for Building Commission NSW’s first major campaign of 2026 due to its active construction industry.
Inspectors and commissioner James Sherrard will visit Singleton, as well as areas of Maitland and Newcastle, this week as part of an ongoing commitment to strengthening standards across NSW.
The region currently boats about 700 active sites serviced by more than an estimated 17,000 licence holders.
During the three-day campaign, they’ll venture to apartment buildings and freestanding homes to address defective work and ensure signage and insurance is in place.
“This is a great opportunity to connect with community and better understand building issues those in the Hunter are experiencing… and how we can help,” Mr Sherrard said.
“With the region expected to experience considerable population growth over the next two decades, it’s more important than ever to ensure we have a robust and capable building industry that can support new and established residents.
“Regional NSW has been a major focus for Building Commission NSW over the past couple of years and that will remain a priority in 2026.”
SafeWork NSW inspectors will also participate, focussing on preventing falls from heights and falling objects, and ensuring the safe operation of plant, machinery and equipment.
“While we are seeing improvements in worksite safety, we are keen to continue ensuring construction workers can stay safe and healthy on the job,” the organisation’s commissioner Janet Schorer added.
“SafeWork NSW’s proactive visits to sites play an important role in reducing the number of serious incidents by preventing harm, strengthening compliance and sharing practical safety tools.”
A high-profile compliance offensive conducted by SafeWork NSW last year, which targeted construction sites in the Hunter, saw inspectors visit 13 sites, resulting in 17 improvement and nine prohibition notices, as well as three penalty warnings totalling $13,500.
Meanwhile, Building Commission NSW dropped into over 850 locales in regional NSW last year, including an inspection blitz in the Hunter in October.
During that specific operation, they issued 22 penalty infringement and nine written direction notices and 13 rectification orders.
For more information on how to manage the risks of working at heights, mobile plant safety and how to how to manage psychosocial risks in construction, visit the SafeWork NSW website at www.safework.nsw.gov.au.
Business owners and workers can access a range of resources to help manage the risks of working in construction on the SafeWork NSW website at https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/your-industry/construction.
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