Red tape reduction report card

Mick Logan, executive director of NECA Queensland, was recently appointed to the Queensland Government Red Tape Reduction Project Board. The following is a report card on the outcomes of the Project Board’s work to date:

The Electrical Safety Act and Regulation 2002 have been amended to include:

• Reduction of Rescue and Resuscitation Training frequency from six months to 12 months, which will save the industry $29.3 million over 10 years;
• Removing the restrictions on the type of work that can be undertaken by electrical apprentices (with supervision), saving $9.5 million;
• Removing registration requirements for cathodic protection powered by extra low voltage, saving $657 000.

The Work Health and Safety Act and Regulation 2011 have been amended to include:

• Removing the requirement for workplaces to provide the government a list of health and safety representatives;
• Streamlining Class B asbestos removal licensing requirements;
• Replacing mandatory audio metric (hearing) testing requirements with guidance;
• Enabling High Risk Work licence holders to notify events over the phone instead of in writing.

The Building and Construction Portable Long Service Leave Act has been amended to: increase the threshold value of projects on which the QLeave levy is to be paid from $80,000 to $150,000, leading to an estimated $2.5 million per annum saving to the industry; reducing the levy by 0.05% saving the industry $23.6 million.

Several codes of practice have been repealed being replaced with national guidance, simplifying rules in the areas of: excavation; spray painting; workplace harassment; tunnelling and clothing production.

“In addition, the government is developing an online register for High Risk Work licence holders allowing employers of workers who claim to hold these licences to check this online as part of the recruitment and safety management system process,” said Logan.

“The government is also converting static online forms to interactive online forms which can be filled out and lodged and paid for online rather than printed and posted in or lodged over the counter.  And one of the future initiatives the Board is working on at present is the streamlining of workplace safety induction processes to remove duplication across industry sectors which impacts on subcontractors working on multiple sites,” Logan added.

To have your say on these and other ‘red-tape busters’ please call Mick Logan on 07 3276 7950 or 0458 014 267 or email him on mick.logan@neca.asn.au.