South Australia Has Just Changed Its Fall Height Rules. Here Is What Victorian Building Owners Need to Know

**South Australia Has Just Changed Its Fall Height Rules. Here Is What Victorian Building Owners Need to Know.**

South Australia has just lowered its threshold for high-risk construction work at height, and if you own or manage a commercial building, the timing is worth paying attention to.

SA’s WHS (High Risk Construction Work) Amendment Regulations come into effect on 1 July 2026. Under the change, any construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres will now be classified as high-risk work in South Australia. That means a Safe Work Method Statement is required, along with formal fall-prevention controls. Previously, SA set this trigger at 3 metres, which put it out of step with every other jurisdiction in Australia. The amendment brings SA into line with the national model WHS laws and with Victoria, which already applies a 2-metre trigger under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

The natural question is whether any of this applies to you as a building owner in Victoria. The short answer is that South Australia’s amended regulations do not legally bind you. Victoria has its own legislation, and that legislation already references the 2-metre standard. But that does not mean the SA change is irrelevant. The fact that SA has now formally adopted what every other jurisdiction uses reinforces that the 2-metre threshold is the settled national expectation for fall protection. If a trade contractor works on your rooftop and your site does not meet that standard, a risk assessment that ignores the national consensus leaves you exposed.

There is one more thing worth understanding about the Victorian framework. The 2-metre mark is where Part 3.3 of the OHS Regulations 2017 kicks in, triggering specific obligations around fall prevention controls and documentation. But Section 21 of the OHS Act 2004 imposes a general duty of care regardless of height. The threshold sets where specific rules begin. It does not set where your responsibility as a duty holder ends.

The people working on your roof are somebody’s family. Falls between 2 and 3 metres are not minor incidents. SafeWork SA’s own data showed that 68 per cent of falls in the residential construction sector between 2020 and 2022 occurred at heights between 2 and 3 metres. That data is one reason why the SA reform happened. A rooftop without proper fall protection at the 2-metre mark is not an acceptable risk anywhere in Australia, regardless of which regulatory document applies in your state.

We work with building owners, facilities managers, and strata committees across Victoria, and we understand the confusion that comes with tracking regulatory changes across state lines. What stays consistent is the standard itself. Australian standards and Safe Work Australia guidance have pointed to 2 metres as the benchmark for fall protection in construction and maintenance environments for a long time. That does not change when the state border does.

Anchored Height Safety specialises in designing and installing the systems that let trades work safely above 2 metres. We have experience across commercial and mixed-use rooftops, and we carry deep working knowledge of the standards that govern this space in Victoria and nationally.

When our team assesses a rooftop, we look at what work will be carried out, at what heights, and with what risk of a fall. We then design an access infrastructure solution matched to those risks. That means specifying and installing anchor points, static lines, and edge protection systems that comply with AS/NZS 1891, AS 1657, AS 1851, and AS 1892, as well as Safe Work Australia’s working at heights guidance.

The documentation we provide goes beyond a certificate on a wall. Each system we install or certify comes with records that tell any trade contractor exactly what equipment is on the roof, what it has been tested and approved for, and when it was last inspected. That documentation protects the people using the system and it protects you as the duty holder. When a risk assessment needs to demonstrate that your site meets the national 2-metre benchmark, that paperwork is what supports your position.

A well-documented, properly installed fall protection system also gives your insurers, your facilities team, and any contractor a clear picture of exactly what safeguards are in place. That is not a minor administrative benefit. It is the foundation of a defensible duty-of-care position.

When your rooftop access systems are correctly designed, installed, and maintained, you can send trades to work with confidence. Your site meets the national standard. Your documentation is current. If anything ever goes wrong, you have a clear record showing that you took the risk seriously and acted on it.

If a worker falls from your rooftop and your site has no compliant fall protection infrastructure, the consequences reach further than the worksite. Insurance policies can include clauses that void or limit coverage where a duty-of-care obligation has not been met. A WorkSafe investigation follows any serious injury, and it will ask whether your building had the right systems in place at 2 metres. The answer needs to be yes.

If you are not sure whether your rooftop meets the 2-metre standard or whether your current system documentation is up to date, now is the right time to find out. Call us on 03 9555 3586, email sales@anchored.com.au, or visit anchored.com.au to arrange a rooftop assessment.