I’ve watched a site shut down for three hours because a subbie lost the only key to the traffic management sign trailer in a gravel pit at dawn. No one could find the dull silver key fob in the low light, so we couldn’t move the signs to reopen the lane. That’s a $12k delay […]
Last month, a SafeWork NSW inspector shut down a Sydney construction site after a labourer wearing a faded Class D vest was nearly struck by a reversing loader in low light. The site manager had bought cheap imported vests to cut costs, ignoring that Class D is only rated for daytime use. He copped a […]
A Queensland mining operation recently copped a $40,000 fine when inspectors found half the crew wearing cheap imported vests that didn’t meet AS/NZS 4602.1. The vests were labelled as Class D/N but failed the minimum reflective tape width of 50mm. That’s the reality on Australian worksites: getting safety vest classes wrong can lead to hefty […]
Last month, a Sydney civil works crew copped a $12,000 SafeWork NSW fine after a subbie turned up in a faded orange vest with no reflective tape. The site supervisor didn’t pick it up, the auditor did, and the whole project was shut down for 48 hours. That’s the cost of getting hi vis vest […]
Last wet season on a Cairns construction site, a crew of 12 got hit with a $38k SafeWork NSW fine after a concrete truck clipped a labourer at dusk. The issue? The team had sewn their own hi-vis vests using a free online Hi Vis Vest Sewing Pattern they found, thinking they were saving coin. […]
Last month, a civil construction crew in Western Sydney copped a $12,000 fine from SafeWork NSW after an inspector spotted three workers wearing non-compliant hi-vis vests with 40mm reflective tape instead of the mandated 50mm. The vests had been bought cheap from an overseas online seller, and the site manager didn’t realise they didn’t meet […]
Last month, a Sydney construction site supervisor copped a $14,000 SafeWork NSW penalty after a subcontractor’s labourer was knocked off a scaffold by a reversing forklift. The worker was wearing a faded, imported hi-vis vest with no reflective tape, even though the shift ran past dusk. The worst part? The supervisor thought he’d bought the […]
Last month, a Brisbane civil works crew got hit with a $4,200 SafeWork Queensland penalty because half their team turned up in cheap online vests that didn’t meet a single Australian standard. The supervisor thought he was saving a few bucks buying unbranded imports, but the fluorescent orange faded after two weeks on site, the […]
Last month, a SafeWork NSW inspector shut down a Parramatta construction site after a 2XL labourer’s ill-fitting hi vis vest rode up while he was unloading steel beams. The crane driver had zero visibility of him, nearly clipping the worker’s shoulder with a 200kg load. The site was fined $1,200 for supplying non-compliant, poorly sized […]
Hi Vis Vest Classes: What Australian Worksites Need to Know I’ve stood on enough sites to know that a faded orange vest isn’t just a bad look—it’s a compliance disaster waiting to happen. Under SafeWork NSW rules, that vest could cop you a hefty fine, and worse, it puts your team at real risk of […]