The end-of-year period is when most Victorian schools receive their annual height safety recertification reports. And while most inspections return clean certificates, a significant number come back with defects — systems that no longer meet the requirements of AS/NZS 1891.4 (Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices) or AS 5532 (Manufacturing requirements for anchorage systems).
If your inspection report has flagged non-compliant items, you're not alone and you don't need to panic. But you do need to act — and how quickly depends on the severity of what was found.
First: understand what the report is telling you
A reputable height safety inspector won't just mark something as "fail" and move on. Your report should categorise each defect by severity. The three categories you'll typically see are:
| Severity | What it means | Required action |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Immediate risk of failure if the system were used. Anchor point cracked, certification tag missing, load-bearing component corroded. | System must be taken out of service immediately. Do not allow roof access via this system until rectified. |
| Major | Significant non-compliance that poses risk but does not require immediate removal from service. Could include worn components, incorrect installation relative to updated standards, or missing signage. | Rectify within a defined timeframe — typically before the next inspection period or within 3 months, whichever is sooner. |
| Minor | Administrative or documentation issues. Expired test certificates, record-keeping gaps, tag dates overdue. | Rectify at next scheduled service, with documentation updated beforehand. |
If your report doesn't categorise defects clearly, ask your inspector to clarify in writing before doing anything else. You need to know what you're dealing with before you can prioritise.
What you are legally required to do
Under the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the OHS Regulations 2017, duty holders — including school principals, business owners and facilities managers — are required to ensure that plant and equipment used for working at heights is maintained in safe working order. A non-compliant system is a system that does not meet that obligation.
This matters because the moment an inspector has documented a defect in writing, you have formal notice of a known risk. If someone is subsequently injured using that system, ignorance is no longer a defence. The report is timestamped evidence that the hazard was identified.
Key point for school principals
Schools have an additional layer of obligation under the VSBA (Victorian School Building Authority) framework. Height safety systems at government schools must comply with AS/NZS 1891.4, and failure to maintain compliant systems can affect insurance coverage and VSBA compliance status. Catholic and independent schools face similar requirements under MACS and DOSCEL frameworks respectively.
The practical steps after a non-compliant report
1. Restrict access immediately for critical defects
If any defect is classified critical, treat that system as out of service from the moment you receive the report. Put up physical barriers, update your maintenance request system, and make sure your site manager or facilities team knows. This isn't just about legal exposure — a failed anchor point under load can result in a fatality.
2. Get a rectification quote in writing
Contact your height safety provider and ask for a written rectification scope and quote that references each defect in the inspection report by item number. This creates a paper trail that shows you acted promptly on receiving the report — which matters if anything goes wrong in the interim.
The rectification quote should also confirm which Australian Standard each fix is being completed to, and what documentation you'll receive on completion (a new compliance certificate or recertification tag for each remediated item).
3. Confirm your insurance position
Some schools are surprised to discover that their public liability insurer needs to be notified when non-compliance is identified. Check your policy — or ask your broker — whether a known, documented defect affects your cover for incidents occurring in that area before rectification is complete.
4. Document your response timeline
Keep a written record of when you received the report, when you contacted your height safety provider, when the quote was received, and when the work was scheduled. This demonstrates due diligence if you're ever asked to account for the gap between identification and rectification.
How long is reasonable?
There's no single statutory timeframe for rectifying height safety defects in Victoria — it depends on severity, the nature of the system, and what access is involved. As a general guide: critical defects should be addressed within days, not weeks. Major defects within 30–60 days. Minor items at the next scheduled service. What matters most is that you act promptly and document that you did.
Common defects we find on Victorian school rooftops
In our work recertifying height safety systems across more than 200 Victorian schools, the most common non-compliant findings we see are:
- Anchor points with expired or missing test certificates — the system may be physically intact but has not been load-tested within the required period.
- Corroded or damaged components — particularly on older systems installed in the 1990s and 2000s that were not designed for the lifespan they've been in service.
- Systems installed to superseded standards — an anchor point that met AS/NZS 1891.1:1995 may not comply with the current 1891.4 edition.
- Inadequate signage or missing user instructions — technically non-compliant even if the hardware is fine.
- Horizontal lifelines with incorrect tensioning or end-anchor configuration — often a result of installation by a non-specialist.
- Guardrails with gaps or toe-board deficiencies — particularly common on older perimeter systems added during solar panel installations.
Why the end of year is the right time to sort this out
September and October are when most Victorian schools receive their annual recertification reports, and the summer school holidays are the ideal window for rectification work. There's no disruption to students, trades can access rooftops freely during the day, and any new systems can be commissioned and certified before the school year resumes.
If your report has flagged defects and you haven't yet scheduled the rectification work, now is the time — before the holiday bookings fill up and the window closes.
We handle the full process
At O'Brien Height Safety Solutions, we carry out both the inspection and the rectification — which means we already know exactly what needs to be fixed and can quote without a second site visit. If you've received a non-compliant report from us, or from another inspector, contact us to discuss your options. We work across government, Catholic and independent schools throughout Victoria.
A non-compliant inspection result isn't a failure — it's the system working as it should. The goal of annual recertification is to catch problems before they become incidents. What matters now is acting on what the report found, and making sure it's documented.