The Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry found the incidence of workplace related injury unacceptable and in need of reform, and made numerous recommendations.
The Australian Government agreed to implement the majority of the Royal Commission’s Work Health and Safety (WHS) recommendations, including establishing the Federal Safety Commissioner.
The role of the FSC is to develop, implement, administer and promote a WHS accreditation scheme for Australian Government building and construction work. This accreditation scheme operates Australia-wide.
The FSC operates within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
The FSC has five key functions:
- To administer the WHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme);
- To promote WHS in relation to building work;
- To ensure compliance with National Construction Code requirements in relation to building materials;
- To promote the benefits of the Scheme; and
- To disseminate information about the Scheme.