FAQ

Call the CFMEU Legal Department on (02) 9749 0400

Workers are not required to start or continue to work out in the rain.  If there is other work available within your classification and in a dry safe area, your employer can transfer you to work on another area of the site or to another work site.

If a concrete pour has already commenced, the pour can continue until finished but all affected workers must be provided with wet weather gear and paid at the rate of double time.  If a workers clothes becomes wet as a result of working in the rain during a concrete pour, the worker will be allowed to go home for the remainder of the day without loss of pay.  If in doubt you can speak to your delegate, HSR on site or contact us.

You can view the inclement weather calendar here

If you're still unsure, you can Contact Us

CFMEU EBAs state that workers will stop work and leave site when the temperature reaches 35 degrees. The temperature is measured at the nearest Bureau of Meteorology weather station to the work site.

A printable version of this heat policy which includes starategies for working in hot weather that's below the 35 degree cutoff can be found here.

Workers should not be discouraged from taking necessary rest breaks.  Report all heat stress incidents to the First Aider and the PCBU.  Workers who experience symptoms of heat stress must report to the First Aid shed for medical attention.  If in doubt you can speak to your delegate, HSR on site or contact us.

While there is no set wind speed limit, all plant has Australian Standard stipulations/requirements for safe operating at particular wind speeds. Manufacturing requirements/limitations of safely operating plant at certain wind speeds should also be utilised.  If in doubt – check with your HSR on site or Contact Us.

Well, there are a few different things you can do. If there is a Health and Safety Rep (HSR) who works on your site, you should let them know first. If not, then there are still other ways you can work this out. If you're a union member and there's nobody in your workplace that you feel comfortable reporting it to, you can contact the counter organiser at Lidcombe who will endeavour to give you advice and if need be, get in touch with the relevant site organiser. SafeworkNSW are the Government regulator of WHS in New South Wales, so you should definitely let them know that something isn't right. Too often companies get to tell us that "there were no issues before now" when something goes wrong, just because nobody had reported them to Safe Work- So it pays to be diligent.