The blitz revealed workers were at particularly high risk of injuries related to falls.

Unannounced safety checks by the industry watchdog followed a recent string of safety breaches identified by workers and union officials.

The Newcastle Herald revealed in April the dark side of the Hunter's billion dollar construction boom that insiders claim is "masking a tragedy waiting to happen" as builders repeatedly flout safety rules.

SafeWork NSW inspectors visited 54 commercial and residential building sites across the region, handing out 26 prohibition notices and 54 improvement notices. A SafeWork spokesman said six on-the-spot fines were handed out, totalling $18,270.

"Twenty-six businesses were issued notices, across commercial construction, residential house construction and roofing services," he said. "Of these, six received fines for not adequately controlling the risk of falls at the site."

NSW Minister for Better Regulation Kevin Anderson said he was concerned too many people were still doing the wrong thing.

"While many sites in the region are working hard to keep their workers safe, especially when it came to implementing COVID safety plans, the risks others are taking are totally unacceptable," he said.

"A poor safety record is often an indicator of poor construction standards and sub-standard building work. Those overseeing these type of projects will now not only be prosecuted under workplace safety legislation, but could also be denied an occupation certificate meaning apartments cannot be settled."

The majority of Hunter breaches related to fall from heights risks, unsafe scaffolding, electrical risks and poor risk management systems.

"SafeWork now has a has a consistent presence in the Newcastle and Hunter building industry, and the construction sites we've identified can expect regular visits from inspectors until they clean their act up," Mr Anderson said.

The nation's peak building union said the construction industry needs to be driven as much by safety concerns as it is by money. Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser Mark Cross said some operators in the Hunter were not placing "anywhere near enough emphasis on safety".

The Newcastle Herald has been supplied this year with a host of pictures and videos exposing safety breaches and raising questions about the state of safety on some sites.

A drop in workplace safety inspections and prosecutions has seen SafeWork come under fire for its approach to keeping workers safe.

NSW government figures show SafeWork completed 12,349 inspections and other compliance activities for the 10 months to November last year.

This compares to 42,582 workplace safety "interactions" including inspections completed in the 2017/18 financial year.

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