Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) has commenced a statewide compliance campaign in February 2026. This campaign targets preventing falling objects within the construction industry.

Falling objects cause significant harm on Queensland construction sites. Between 2003 and 2023, 20 workers lost their lives due to falling objects hitting or crushing them while at work – highlighting the importance of strong, consistent risk management on every site.

On 1 December 2025, a young worker tragically lost his life when a concrete pump reducer pipe fell from the end of a mobile placing boom being set up on a housing site on the Gold Coast. See the Concrete placing boom reducer drop – safety alert for more information.

As part of the campaign, WHSQ inspectors will audit construction workplaces across Queensland and take appropriate enforcement action where safety duties are not being met. Our aim is to support businesses to improve safety practices and prevent serious injuries before they occur.

How you can prepare

Now is the time to review how your workplace manages the risk of falling objects. Workers and the public can be at risk from activities such as:

• • crane lifts
  • erecting or dismantling scaffolding
  • installing formwork
  • using elevating work platforms (EWPs)
  • working with scaffold, hang-on scaffold or edge protection
  • installing tilt-up or pre-cast panels
  • using cantilevered crane loading platforms.

There is no single solution — the most effective control depends on the task and the site. Common control measures include:

• • exclusion zones to separate workers and the public from falling object hazards
  • perimeter containment screening
  • hoarding or gantries to protect public areas
  • catch platforms and toe boards
  • good housekeeping and material storage practices
  • tool lanyards, to complement other higher-level controls.

These simple steps can prevent serious injuries and demonstrate that your business is taking a proactive approach to worker safety.

Where to get assistance

Take advantage of the tailored, face-to-face advice provided by our Injury Prevention and Management (IPaM) advisors. IPaM advisors can assist you to assess your systems and advise you on how to make improvements. IPaM is free for Queensland businesses. Register for IPaM or email [email protected] now for more information.

Keeping up to date

A number of incidents associated with the lifting of precast concrete elements have occurred around Australia. Dropping a precast concrete element from height can have serious to fatal consequences. For this reason, five risk control measures must be implemented when lifting precast elements when an effective exclusion zone cannot be implemented. For details on the risk control measures see: Additional risk controls for lifting precast concrete elements.

For further assistance or more information, please visit WorkSafe.qld.gov.au. You can also call WHSQ on 1300 362 128 or by submitting a general enquiry.