What WHS Inspectors Check Before the Christmas Shutdown

SafeWork NSW calls the Christmas and New Year break the longest shutdown in the construction industry, and its inspectors don't wait until January to look at your site. They visit through December and keep checking during the break. Securing a construction site before Christmas is now a compliance job as much as a theft job, and the people you most need to keep out are often kids on school holidays.

Here's what inspectors check, what the principal contractor owns, and what to record before you chain the gate. For theft, see our guide to securing your site over the Christmas shutdown.

What WHS inspectors check before the Christmas shutdown

In December 2025, SafeWork NSW said its inspectors would visit worksites across the state through December and January, including during the shutdown, to check businesses had met their legal obligations before going on holiday. Its list is short, and it's the one an inspector walks round your site boundary with.

Find a site unsecured over the break and SafeWork NSW will contact the principal contractor to secure it. Answer that call with keys and a person ready to go.

Principal contractor duties when securing a construction site before Christmas

Under the model WHS laws, the person with management or control of a construction workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that it is secured from unauthorised access. On a construction project, that's the principal contractor. WorkSafe Queensland's guidance says the risk assessment weighs the risks to someone who gets in, how likely entry is, and how to isolate hazards where entry can't be prevented.

Likelihood is where Christmas changes the answer. Queensland names closeness to places frequented by children, such as schools, parks and shopping precincts. A fence that's enough on a working Tuesday may not be when the street is full of kids on bikes for the summer holidays.

Signage counts too. WorkSafe Tasmania says the principal contractor's sign must be visible from outside and show their name, phone numbers including an after-hours number, and the site office location. Victoria runs its own OHS laws and penalties differ by state, so check with your regulator. This is general information, not legal advice.

Why kids are the hardest people to keep out

Thieves come for cable and tools. Kids come because a half-built house with scaffolding is the best playground in the suburb. SafeWork NSW has warned that unsecured sites are a risk to the public, particularly children on school holidays, after a 16-year-old boy fell 10 metres while trespassing on a Mosman construction site.

WorkSafe ACT notes that people who don't know a site may not recognise its risks, even where hazards are signposted. In 2024–25, workplace security was the most common subject of improvement notices under the ACT's WHS Regulation, at 11 per cent.

Walk lock-up day like a 12-year-old would. What can you climb, and what looks fun?

• Scaffolding and ladders: lock off the access stair and take ladders off site or chain them.
• Plant: keys out, cabs locked, buckets lowered to the ground.
• Excavations: pier holes and trenches covered, not just taped.
• Fence panels: clamps on every join, so a panel can't be lifted out.

Where camera towers and control room monitoring fit

A fence is the first control an inspector looks for, and a camera doesn't replace it. A monitored camera does what a fence can't: notice someone has climbed it, and act before they reach the scaffold. It's part of Siteguard's setup for construction sites.

Siteguard's solar camera towers come in four configurations. A Single Cam covers one gate or container at 4K 8MP with a 95° field of view and intruder alerts. A Twin Cam gives 180° coverage with smart alerts, siren and strobe, and battery backup. The Pan & Zoom 360° Cam handles open ground with up to 1km zoom and low-light performance.

There's a WHS reason to go solar. Switching off site power is on the inspector's list, and it takes wired lighting and mains cameras with it. Solar towers keep running.

With control room monitoring, an Australian-based operator verifies every alarm, issues audio warnings and sirens, and escalates to the authorities when required. It runs 24/7, public holidays included. For a kid who has just climbed your fence, a voice from the tower is a reason to climb back out.

What to document before you leave site

After an incident, an inspector, an insurer and the police all ask what the site looked like when you left. Build that answer on lock-up day. Our last-day lock-up walk covers the route; this is the record to keep.

• Dated photos of the full fence line, every gate and lock, and the signage from the street.
• Hazards: scaffold access locked off, upper floors blocked, voids and trenches covered, reo capped, drums emptied.
• Plant, chemicals and power: where plant is parked, who holds keys, and the board switched off.
• Security set-up: camera positions, detection zones, and a test alert received on a phone outside the fence.
• Contact roster: first call, backup, and who can authorise a site visit, checked against the Christmas shutdown 2026 dates.
• Risk assessment note: the controls you chose and why, including nearby schools or parks.

Cameras keep the record going. Siteguard Foreman gives you live view, alerts and AI reports from a browser, so you can check the site without driving out.

What happens if an inspector finds your site unsecured

In NSW, a business that hasn't secured its site can get an improvement notice, a prohibition notice, or an on-the-spot fine of $2,700, and individuals can be fined $500. The principal contractor also gets the call to come and fix it, mid-break.

The fine is the small cost. The big one is a child injured on your site. A fence that holds, hazards dealt with and someone watching who can act is what an inspector, and a parent, expects.

Frequently asked questions