The Anvil • Oct 2025
Welcome to the first edition of the Anvil
My name is Phil Townsend, National Safety Manager for Construct Services, and I’m proud to welcome you to the very first edition of The Anvil—our new quarterly contractor safety newsletter.
As part of our commitment to building strong, safe, and successful projects together, The Anvil is designed to connect with you early—well before the first day on site—so we can share knowledge, address questions, and work towards our shared goals.
Each edition will bring you important regulatory updates, highlight standout projects, provide practical HammerTech tips, and include a toolbox talk you can put into action straight away. By staying connected and informed, we can ensure that every job starts on the right foot and ends with success for all.
I’m excited about the journey ahead and the opportunity to work alongside you. Together, we can forge safe, productive, and inspiring worksites where everyone goes home safely, every day.
Toolbox Talk • Silica Controls
Respirable crystalline silica is a hazardous dust created when cutting, grinding, drilling, or polishing materials like concrete, bricks, tiles, and stone. Long-term exposure can cause serious illnesses, including silicosis, lung cancer, and chronic bronchitis.
Across all states and territories, strict new regulations now require robust controls such as on-tool water suppression, local exhaust ventilation, and mandatory respiratory protection. Employers must conduct air monitoring, maintain exposure records, and ensure all workers receive silica awareness training.
These measures are not optional—they are enforceable legal requirements designed to protect your health and safety on every job site.
Welcome to HammerTech
Introducing HammerTech: Your Safety & Compliance Ally
Construct Services uses HammerTech to manage safety and subcontractor compliance across major projects. We use HammerTech for high-risk jobs and construction projects where we are the Principal Contractor, as required by law.
As a trusted subcontractor, you must complete the HammerTech induction for your business and workers, and submit SWMS for any high-risk construction work.
When awarded a job, you’ll receive a welcome email from our safety team with a link to register or log in. You’ll need to:
- Upload required company details, insurances, and licences.
- Complete online inductions for all workers.
- Provide project-specific SWMS and safety documents.
HammerTech can pull your business details across multiple sites, saving time on paperwork and keeping your team focused on the job. In future newsletters, we’ll share tips to help you get the most out of HammerTech and maintain high safety standards.
Project in Focus
Kirrawee iSpace Fire • Make Safe Works Awarded
Construct Services was engaged to deliver the Make Safe works at the iSpace self-storage facility in Kirrawee, following a late-night fire that tore through the upper levels of the building. Around 12 NSW Fire and Rescue trucks were deployed to bring the blaze under control, with swift action saving the lower levels and preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties.
A structural engineer’s assessment found several tilt-up concrete panels to be unstable, requiring extensive propping before remediation could begin. More than 500 props were installed on the ground floor to stabilise the structure and support the heavy machinery needed to carry out the Make Safe works.
Working in lockstep with the Site Supervisor a dedicated Construct Services Safety Advisor was provided to guide safety on site, ensuring no lost time injures were reported for the life of the construction project.
Regulator Update
This October marks the start of National Safe Work Month, with Safe Work Australia encouraging all businesses to show visible leadership in WHS and use the 2025 campaign kit in toolbox talks and site communications.
Across the states and territories:
- NSW – SafeWork NSW is now an independent statutory regulator (since 1 July) and is increasing enforcement alongside its “Irreplaceable / Safe at work. There for them” campaign.
- VIC – A strong focus continues on falls from height, with several construction cases already escalated for legal action in 2025.
- QLD – Inspectors are running a statewide compliance campaign on the safe use of plant in construction (through September).
- SA – Published its 2025/26 construction compliance campaigns covering HSRs, incident response, and site risk fundamentals.
- WA – Completed proactive inspections on construction-site security and continues to target falls compliance.
- ACT – Operation Safe Prospect keeps residential construction under scrutiny, with quarterly regulator updates now in place.
- TAS – Preparing for WorkSafe Month activities in October (following its safety conference).
- NT – Maintaining strong industry engagement through education, alerts, and safety initiatives.
Tip for contractors: Build your pre-start briefings and SWMS refreshers around this year’s priority themes — falls prevention, plant safety, site security, and worker wellbeing.