Victoria: housing fall-prevention guidance has important published corrections

WorkSafe Victoria’s Prevention of falls in housing construction compliance code was published on 19 December 2019 and remains available on its official resource page.

Practical points

Use this code for work within its housing-construction scope, not automatically for every building project. It addresses risk management, higher and lower falls, roof work and related controls.

WorkSafe identifies incorrect figures 17 and 19 and incorrect timber-guardrail specifications in tables 3 and 4. Read the corrected roof-truss checklist and timber-guardrailing guidance alongside the PDF. The updated guidance emphasises appropriate component strength, connections, inspection and competent installation. Do not copy superseded technical details into a site procedure.

Read the corrected roof-truss checklist and timber-guardrailing guidance. These linked updates are essential context, not optional illustrations.

An illustrative workplace example

Before a hypothetical housing project reuses an old fall-prevention plan, check whether its drawings or guardrail schedules came from the affected pages. Ask the competent designer or contractor to verify the current specifications. A saved PDF is not a reliable update-checking system.

Status and source

Following the code provides deemed compliance only for duties it covers. Other lawful methods are possible; the code does not replace legislation. General education, not individual legal or engineering advice.

Read the official WorkSafe resource page and complete official PDF.