National Safe Work Month kicks off today and we’re all being urged to focus on ways to reduce death, injury and disease in Australian workplaces.
Sadly, as at 10 September, 111 Australian workers have been killed at work this year. In 2014, 188 workers were killed in Australian workplaces.
Meanwhile, in 2012-13 there were approximately 118,000 serious Workers’ Compensation Claims in Australia. It’s a sign that despite our progress, more can be done to keep employees safe while at work.
The theme for National Safe Work Month 2015 is Be safe. Be healthy. Because…
It’s a powerful messages asking us to think of the reasons why being safe at work is important. For some, it might be important to support physical and mental health at work. For others it might be to reduce business costs and to increase efficiency. For all of us it should be so we can return home safely to our friends and families, able to enjoy the lives we work hard to maintain.
Whatever your reason, it’s important to reflect on the importance of workplace safety and think of ways you can play your part.
Virtual Seminar Series
An initiative under the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy, Safe Work Australia is presenting a series of free seminars focusing on mental health in the workplace, safety practice in the manufacturing and construction industries, and good work design.The seminars are interactive and will involve live broadcasts and online Q&A sessions. Each seminar will be accompanied by a range of work health and safety resources including case studies, research and data.
Broadcast daily throughout National Safe Work Month in October, the Virtual Seminar Series showcases the latest thinking, innovation and research in work health and safety and examines how work can be designed so that workers are safe and businesses more productive.
This year’s seminars will look at how getting the design of work right from the start can improve safety while simultaneously saving money, improving efficiency, and making business more productive. To find out more about the 2015 Virtual Seminar Series, click here.
Get Involved
As with every year, there are a number of ways you can get your workplace involved in National Safe Work Month 2015:
- Download the National Safe Work Month electronic information kit – designed to help you raise awareness about work health and safety within your organisation. The kit includes products such as posters, fact sheets, web banners, email templates and national safety statistics and will be available to download soon.
- Enter the National Safe Work Month Workplace Participation Reward – for your chance to win. The reward will be presented to the organisation displaying the most outstanding spirit, participation, creativity and sustainable initiatives during the month, as judged by photos and stories submitted throughout October. Details about how to submit your photos and stories will be coming soon.
- Download the free National Safe Work Month smart phone app – find out about safety events happening near you, read national safety statistics, watch a virtual seminar and enter the Workplace Participation Reward. The app will be free to download on all mobile devices from mid-September.
To find out more about National Safe Work Month and download your workplace resources visit safeworkaustralia.gov.au.
Statistics
These statistics compiled by Safe Work Australia are evidence about why safe work practice should be a year-round focus:- Being involved in a vehicle incident continues to be the most common cause of workplace fatalities
- Mental stress claims are most common in workers aged 40–54 2000-01 to 2013-14
- In 2014, 94% of workplace fatalities were male
- Each work related injury or illness costs approximately $99,100
- In 2012-13 the average lost time for someone with a work related injury or illness was 5.4 weeks
- Approximately 22% of serious claims affect the upper or lower back
- Falls, trips and slips account for 22% of injuries 2012–13
