On an inner-Brisbane residential high-rise development, the steelfixing subcontractor submitted one safe work method statement (SWMS) for the initial groundworks and footing construction. Twelve months later, a spot audit unexpectedly found that no superstructure SWMS had ever been requested or submitted. Until that discovery, high-risk superstructure steelfixing had continued without SWMS coverage, while the contractor’s document-control system failed to identify the changed work.

The spot audit was requested by the contractor after a near miss was recorded with the regulator. OHSE Consultants assessed both the subcontractor’s SWMS content and the contractor’s register for managing high-risk work. Assistance included an audit letter requesting separate substructure and superstructure SWMS. A task-observation supplement and changes to the contractor’s internal systems for requesting, reviewing and updating SWMS when the construction work changed.

The subcontractor’s original SWMS covered groundworks and footing construction. High-risk superstructure steelfixing had then proceeded for 12 months without anyone noticing that high-risk work was being completed without a SWMS. The other failure was the contractor’s lack of system control: no process triggered a request, review or update when work moved into the superstructure. This allowed high-risk work to remain undetected and unmanaged. Both the contractor and subcontractor were in breach.

Immediate action was required to develop separate documents covering substructure activities and high-risk superstructure steelfixing. The contractor also needed to adjust their IMS to link an additional SWMS to the future superstructure construction program. Before future high-risk work commenced or changed, the system had to trigger a request, review and update the relevant SWMS and its controls.

The contractor, subcontractor and auditor acted urgently. The auditor and steelfixing subcontractor developed and implemented separate substructure and superstructure SWMS with controls matched to each work phase. The contractor updated its SWMS system so changes in high-risk work would trigger document requests, review and revision. This corrected the immediate breach and the underlying system failure that had allowed it to continue.

The initial spot audit identified an iternal management system failure that had allowed unlawful, uncontrolled high-risk work to continue for 12 months, leaving both contractor and subcontractor in breach. Rapid action to resubmit the steelfixing SWMS and the immediate repair the contractor’s management system will advert similar errors. Phase-based controls now govern the projects schedule, supported by a process for detecting changes before high-risk activities proceeded without the correct SWMS.