Western Australian Current Regulations

WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY ( GENERAL ) REGULATIONS 2022 - REG 79A

79A .         Duties of certain persons as to holes or openings in floors

        (1)         A person conducting a business or undertaking or a principal contractor at, or a person with management or control of, a workplace must ensure that any hole or opening (other than a lift well, stairwell or vehicle inspection pit) with dimensions of more than 200 mm x 200 mm but less than 2 metres x 2 metres or with a diameter greater than 200 mm but less than 2 metres —

            (a)         in a floor, other than a concrete floor, of a structure at the workplace is covered with a material that is securely fixed to the floor and is strong enough to prevent persons or things entering or falling through or into the hole or opening; or

            (b)         in a concrete floor of a structure at the workplace —

                  (i)         has, if reasonably practicable, wire mesh that meets the requirements of subregulation (2); and

                  (ii)         is covered with a material that is securely fixed to the floor and is strong enough to prevent persons or things entering or falling through or into the hole or opening.

        Penalty for this subregulation:

            (a)         for an individual, a fine of $7 000;

            (b)         for a body corporate, a fine of $35 000.

        (2)         The wire in the wire mesh referred to in subregulation (1)(b)(i) must —

            (a)         be at least 4 mm in diameter; and

            (b)         have maximum apertures of 75 mm x 75 mm; and

            (c)         be embedded, at least 200 mm in the edges of the surrounding concrete; and

            (d)         be embedded either —

                  (i)         in the upper half of the slab with a minimum concrete cover of 20 mm; or

                  (ii)         in the lower half of the slab with a minimum cover of 30 mm.

        (3)         A person to whom subregulation (1) applies must ensure that —

            (a)         wire mesh referred to in subregulation (1)(b)(i) —

                  (i)         is not used as a working platform; and

                  (ii)         is only removed for the purposes of installing services in circumstances where the removal takes place immediately before the installation of a service and the only portion removed is the minimum portion required to be removed for the installation;

                and

            (b)         any cover referred to in subregulation (1)(a) or (b)(ii) —

                  (i)         is marked in clearly legible lettering with the words “DANGER — HOLE BENEATH”; and

                  (ii)         is only removed for the purposes of installing services in circumstances where the removal takes place immediately before the installation of a service.

                Penalty for this subregulation:

            (a)         for an individual, a fine of $7 000;

            (b)         for a body corporate, a fine of $35 000.