Here’s a misconception worth clearing up immediately: a lot of residential strata committees assume that because their building isn’t a commercial workplace, Work Health and Safety laws don’t really apply to them. That’s not how the WHS Act 2011 works.
The moment your owners’ corporation engages anyone to carry out work, you become what the legislation calls a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU). That status comes with real obligations: you must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that every worker on your property is safe.
Why your old certification needs an update
Two major developments hit simultaneously in 2025, and between them, they’ve reshaped what compliant height safety looks like across Sydney.
First, the updated AS/NZS 1891.4 and AS 5532 standards came into effect, which is the most significant revision to height safety technical requirements in fifteen years. The required pull test force has increased from 6 kN to 7.5 kN. Substrate testing (verifying that an anchor performs on the specific material it’s installed in, not just a lab standard) is now mandatory.
The standards also introduced stricter requirements for inclined surfaces and clarified how workers must manage load-bearing angles when traversing anchor lines. In practical terms, if a system was certified under the 2009 standards, it needs to be audited against the 2025 criteria at its next annual inspection. A system that looked compliant 18 months ago may now have gaps.
Second, the Section 106 liability window was extended in March 2025. Lot owners can now claim damages for losses arising from a failure to maintain common property going back six years, up from the previous two. For strata committees that have been deferring maintenance on roof safety systems, waterproofing, or anchor points, that’s a six-year tail of potential exposure sitting on the books right now.
Sydney’s environment makes things trickier
Height safety is about physics and chemistry, both of which are significantly complicated by Sydney’s environment.
Take suburbs like Wolli Creek, where buildings sit close to the Cooks River and Botany Bay. The salt-laden air, humidity, and wind loads comparable to those at Sydney Airport create near-ideal conditions for concrete, where salt penetrates and corrodes the steel reinforcement, causing the surrounding substrate to spall and crumble. An anchor point can look perfectly intact on the surface while the concrete supporting it quietly fails. That’s the kind of thing a visual inspection by a non-specialist will miss, and the kind of thing that becomes a fatal problem when someone’s life depends on it.
In the CBD and high-density hubs like Bondi Junction, the challenge is more logistical. Street-level access for scaffolding or elevated work platforms is often impossible due to narrow roads, heavy pedestrian traffic, and council restrictions, all of which make it difficult. The wind tunnel effect between tall buildings puts constant mechanical stress on every rooftop safety component, accelerating wear on fasteners, sealants, and static lines alike.
What does a compliant system look like?
A compliant height safety system is an engineered framework, not a handful of bolts on a rooftop. Done properly, it includes anchor points rated to 15 kN, strategically positioned to limit free-fall distances and eliminate swing hazards; horizontal static lines that allow continuous, uninterrupted movement without repeated unhooking (a common source of human error); and passive protection, such as guardrails and walkways, wherever possible.
Passive systems are always preferred over relying on a harness to catch someone after the fact, and fixed ladders built to AS 1657:2018 with non-slip surfaces that can withstand Sydney’s weather year-round.
All of it requires annual recertification in NSW every twelve months, because UV degradation, salt oxidation, and structural vibration don’t take breaks.
How Abseilers United covers all of this for you
There are plenty of contractors who can install an anchor point. There are far fewer who can install it correctly on a salt-damaged concrete substrate, certify it to 2025 standards, document it to a level that will satisfy a SafeWork NSW inspector, and then actually use the system professionally themselves.
This is what we do at Abseilers United. With nearly two decades of rope access experience across Sydney’s built environment, our team holds IRATA and SPRAT qualifications, the most rigorous international certifications for work at height. We’re practitioners who work at height every single day, offering a dual perspective as engineers and end users, which means the systems we design are built around how workers actually use them, not how they look on a drawing.
The rope access methodology itself is a significant advantage in Sydney’s dense urban environment. Where scaffolding would require street closures, block views for weeks, and cost a small fortune, we can rig, inspect, repair, and de-rig in hours. Faster compliance turnaround, less disruption for residents and tenants, and no scaffold left in place overnight, creating security headaches.
Our inspections cover the full picture: documentation review against previous logbooks, mechanical and visual assessment of every component, load testing where required under the 2025 standards, and a detailed written report with photos and rectification recommendations.
The window for inaction has closed
The combination of tighter standards, an extended liability window, and a more active enforcement environment means there is no longer a time to defer height safety decisions. If your system was last certified before the 2025 standards came into effect, a gap analysis is overdue. If you’re not sure when it was last done, that’s your answer.
The practical steps are straightforward: audit your existing systems now, consolidate height safety inspections with other facade maintenance to maximise value from each rope access visit, and ensure your certifications are current before your next insurance renewal.
Contact Abseilers United today to book a comprehensive height safety audit. Nearly two decades of rope access expertise, $20 million in public liability coverage, and a deep understanding of the WHS Act and 2025 Australian Standards are all working to keep your building compliant, your workers safe, and your exposure firmly managed.