Safe Work Australia has released a 10-year national strategy designed to reduce workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
The Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) strategy sets an ambitious vision for WHS outcomes in Australia, and the national vision of a safe and healthy work for all sets the agenda for responding to key WHS challenges over the next ten years.
“The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033 sets a national framework for improving work health and safety over the next 10 years,” Safe Work Australia chair, Joanne Farrell said.
Australia has made significant progress towards improving its approach to WHS over the last ten years.
Significantly, this has included enhancing the model regulatory framework, responding to persistent WHS challenges, and reducing harm as measured against targets set by the previous strategy.
“Achieving the vision of the strategy – safe and healthy work for all – is not possible without the important contributions of key stakeholders,” Farrell said.
“Jurisdictions, industry groups, WHS researchers, experts, practitioners and workers all have a role to play in realising progress under the Strategy.”
Safe Work Australia notes that national injury and fatality rates have fallen significantly over the last decade, however progress has slowed.
The need for an ongoing dedication and commitment from all stakeholders — governments, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), workers, industry, unions and WHS practitioners — to continue to ensure that workers return home safely remains critically important.
Serious injury and illness across Australian workplaces directly impacts workers and their families.
Australia has further to go in improving WHS outcomes and ensuring the WHS system is ready to address emerging challenges over the next ten years.
Safe Work Australia suggests that reducing hazardous incidents can contribute to significant economic growth — some tens of billions of dollars each year, and that to make further gains, it is essential that WHS is core to how Australian workplaces do business.
WHS conversations need to be commonplace in every workplace across the country, with education, innovation, and collaboration critical enablers of safety success.
The strategy was developed under Safe Work Australia’s tripartite governance processes and has been agreed by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
It represents a national commitment to work together to reduce worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses over the next decade.
It outlines targets to measure progress over the next 10 years, including a reduction in worker fatalities caused by traumatic injuries by 30%.
“Everyone who goes to work has the right to return home safely,” Safe Work Australia chief executive officer, Michelle Baxter said.
“While data shows that fatal and serious injuries at work have declined over the last decade, Australian workers are still getting sick and injured, sometimes fatally, from work.
“The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023-2033 addresses ongoing and emerging challenges in work health and safety over the next decade, including managing psychosocial risks, the rise of artificial intelligence, automation and related technologies, and new types of work including gig work.
“Safe Work Australia, through its tripartite membership of government, employers and workers, will drive action and monitor the progress of the Strategy targets. Collaboration with and among researchers, professional peak bodies and practitioners will also be critical if we are to realise our ambitious vision.
“Through this Strategy we are focusing our efforts to ensure the work health and safety system in Australia can improve outcomes and address emerging challenges over the next decade.”
More than 150 stakeholders were consulted on the development of the strategy.
“I invite everyone in the work health and safety system to play a part in realising the ambitious outcomes set by the strategy,” Farrell said.
Read the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023-2033 here.