CFMEU urges Queensland government to adopt heat cut-off after shock polling

The CFMEU has warned construction workers “cannot look forward to another tragedy” almost a decade after a Queensland inquiry recommended emergency protection against heat-related death and illness.

In 2016, a coroner in Queensland recommended the creation of an industry-wide heat-related code of practice for construction workers following the 2013 death of 38-year-old Glenn Newport.

The coroner found that although he was “extremely muscular and fit”, Mr Newport’s death was caused primarily by a “physiological reaction” to heat while working on the coral seam gas pipeline construction project.

There is currently no fixed statewide temperature limit for construction work in Queensland, but the CFMEU’s agreements with the former state government set a limit of 35C or 29C with 75 per cent humidity.

Independent polling commissioned by the CFMEU found an overwhelming majority of Queensland voters support stronger protections for those working in extreme heat; including more than three-quarters supported legal safety standards.

“We can’t wait for another tragedy to happen,” the union’s Queensland Executive Officer, Jared Abbott, said.

“CFMEU has a heat policy at union facilities, and we need it implemented statewide before more workers are injured or killed at non-union facilities.”

In Brisbane, 75 per cent of respondents supported support for stop-work rights for workers when temperatures reach 35°C.

A DemosAU poll of almost 1,000 people late last year found at least 72 per cent of respondents in regional Queensland supported the measure.

Nearly 60 per cent of Liberal National Party voters said they wanted the state government to introduce independent heat safety regulations, according to the poll.

“Whether they vote LNP, Labor or other parties, Queenslanders agree workers should not be forced to work in extreme heat,” Mr Abbott said.

“This independent survey shows Queenslanders do not want worker safety to be subject to political debate, they want a heat policy implemented immediately across the state.”

The CFMEU has called on the Queensland government to urgently introduce new occupational health and safety regulations to protect construction and outdoor workers after it scrapped its Best Practice Industrial Conditions (BPIC) policy, a broad standard for workplace safety, wages and industrial relations on major infrastructure projects.

Policy-mandated work will be paused in south-east Queensland when temperatures reach 35°C or 29°C with high humidity, and regional thresholds will be adjusted to reflect local acclimatization levels.

The union said that without this policy, there is now a significant gap in heat-related safety protections for thousands of workers who are not protected under existing BPIC agreements.

Responding to the Queensland Productivity Commission’s final report on the construction industry, the state government said on Wednesday it would review the tools available to support the industry to manage risks from heat stress and continue to develop a step-by-step framework for businesses.

Following this, the state government will explore additional guidance to help industry and workers “cope with adverse weather conditions”.

The Commission had requested the Office of Industrial Relations to develop, in consultation with stakeholders, guidelines for managing business during adverse weather conditions, including procedures for identifying when adverse weather conditions may pose a WHS risk and determining how to respond.

Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki said the BPIC was about more than just warming.

“It was really an overcomplicated framework that made doing business with the government so difficult,” he said.

“It basically locked out everyone below some of the bigger players in the industry.”

In total, the Queensland government accepted 51 of the Commission’s 64 recommendations.

He claims the BPIC will cost Queensland $20.6 billion over five years and that the reform is critical to boosting productivity and housing supply.

There is no single temperature cut for construction work in NSW; CFMEU agreements only set the temperature at 35°C for most jobs.

Similar regulations exist in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

Businesses in Queensland and most states are required to manage heat risks in accordance with relevant health and safety regulations.