This October marks the 15th year Safe Work Australia has driven national Safe Work Month – a time to commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.
Safe Work Australia is the national policy agency responsible for work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation arrangements in Australia.
Since 2009, the Safe Work Month campaign has raised awareness of WHS and provided resources for Australian workplaces to run their own events.
One such event that has proven to be successful Australia-wide is the SafeTea talk, which encourages workers to get together and have a chat about WHS over a cuppa.
Having open conversations about WHS is essential for those working in the mining industry, especially given the latest Safe Work Australia data revealed just over 3000 serious injury claims for mining were filed in 2023, and deaths associated with working at heights increased 71 per cent on 2022.
This years’ theme of the month is ‘Safety is everyone’s business’, which aims to encapsulate a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right across all industries and occupations, while reinforcing the business benefit that comes from committing to safer workplaces.
Each week of national Safe Work Month revolves around a different WHS topic. This year the weekly topics are:
Week 1: Work health and safety fundamentals
Week 2: Psychosocial hazards
Week 3: Risk management fundamentals
Week 4: Musculoskeletal injuries
Events over the month will include talks, workshops, breakfasts and morning teas designed to foster conversations about WHS and provide essential knowledge to workers in the industry.
Looking for events specific to your area? Safe Work Australia has an interactive map, or you can find events in your state here:
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