CROSS-AUS (Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety – Australasia) is a confidential reporting system established in Australasia in 2018 to capture and share lessons learned from structural safety issues which might not otherwise get public recognition, with the aim of preventing future failures.

Confidential reporting is a well-established safety procedure, especially in aviation, and CROSS-AUS builds on the success of CROSS-UK, the unique UK based system which has been operating since 2005 and is part of a growing network of CROSS programmes internationally.

The Shergold Weir report, Building Confidence, published in 2018, highlighted a wide range of problems in the Australian construction industry and concluded ‘It is our considered view that the nature and extent of the problems put to us are significant and concerning. They are likely to undermine public trust in the health and safety of buildings if they are not addressed in a comprehensive manner.’

It is important that the structural engineering community plays it part in restoring confidence in our industry, and CROSS-AUS provides a vehicle whereby everyone can contribute towards improving quality and safety by sharing safety issues and disseminating advice on good practice. The paper will describe the processes used by CROSS-AUS and provide examples of instances where beneficial changes have resulted. Ultimately the intention is to have a global freely available database to be used by the construction industry anywhere to improve the safety of their buildings, structures, and national infrastructure.