On an occupied site, the public share your work zone. Protect them as carefully as the team.
Start safeControl the riskStop when it changes
Scroll the journey
1
When it applies
If you're doing any of this, this guide is in play.
Strata & residential
Commercial sites
Residents & tenants
Visitors
Pedestrians
Vehicle movement
2
Before you start
Before the work begins, the Site Supervisor confirms — and you check your own work area.
Occupied areas
Access routes
Deliveries
Exclusion zones
Noise / dust impacts
Emergency egress
3
The controls
Work down the hierarchy — collective protection first, PPE last. PPE never carries the job on its own.
The RPD rule
Use signage, barriers, spotters, delivery controls, resident notices, clean access paths and after-hours make-safe checks.
Signage & barriersSpottersResident noticesMake-safe checksHold point — never skip
Do not create an open edge, falling-object risk or dust/chemical exposure in an occupied area without isolation.
An occupied building means people can walk into your work zone at any time. Isolate before you expose them.
5
Stop & escalate
See any one of these? The job stops until it's fixed — no exceptions.
- Residents or public enter the work zone
- Controls block emergency access
Stop work→ tell the Site Supervisor → don't restart until the control is back and the SWMS is reviewed.
6
What gets recorded
The job isn't done until the evidence exists. Live records go in Breadcrumb.
Breadcrumb · live site
- Site alerts
- Access controls / attendance
- Pre-starts & toolbox talks
- Permits where public interface is part of a control