The latest report from Safe Work Australia has shown Australia’s workplace safety has improved significantly in recent years.
Every year, the Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 report provides an analysis of the latest national data on work-related fatalities, injuries and disease.
This years’ report found Australia’s overall industry workplace injury rate stood at 3.5 per cent, which takes into account the proportion of all workers who experienced a work-related injury or illness in the previous 12 months.
This is a significantly lower number than the overall global rate of 12.1 per cent.
Almost 80 per cent of work-related traumatic injury fatalities occurred in just six industries:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Public administration and safety
- Transport, postal and warehousing
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare and social assistance
- Construction
When it comes to mining, the statistics show reduced rates of work-related fatalities, injuries and illness. Just over 3000 serious injury claims for mining were filed in 2023, significantly less than the up to 26,500 in industries on the above list.
“All workers have the right to a healthy and safe working environment and any workplace death is unacceptable,” Safe Work Australia chief executive officer Marie Boland said.
“The data reinforces the importance of a strong legislative framework to protect workers and others and serves as a call to action for everyone who has work health and safety obligations and all of us in work health and safety roles.”
Falling from a height was the second-largest contributor to workplace fatalities in 2023, increasing 71 per cent on the previous year, and 32 per cent on the five-year average.
The Working at Height Association is working to bring awareness to the need for greater fall prevention across the construction and mining industries.
Such preventions may include on-person restraints, an edge or perimeter protection system, fall protection covers, or safety mesh.
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