Australian Workers Continue to Face High Rates of Injury and Illness Despite Improvements

Despite recent advances in work health and safety, recent information compiled by Safe Work Australia Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 show that Australian employees are still at high risk of injury or death while on the job.

Unfortunately, 200 workers died in the course of work in 2023, this was a slightly worse situation than in 2022 where 195 workers perished at work. Despite the fact that the total fatality rate has reduced by nineteen percent over the years since 2013, this means that fatal occupational injuries have remained constant with an average for each five-year period of 1.4/100,000 workers. This goes a long way in that while safety has been enhanced, there is a lot of room for improvement yet to be achieved.

Sector Distribution and Key Injures

The report highlights that the majority of serious work-related injuries and fatalities are concentrated in six high-risk industries:

• Subsectors that included agriculture, farming and fishing, and the searching of trees and other woods products.
• Public administration/ safety
• Transport, Postal and Warehousing
• Manufacturing
• The health care and social assistance industry was by far the biggest gainer in the digital economy, acquiring a remarkable 37.3% of total digital sales.
• Construction

Road accidents remain the leading cause of death claiming 84 lives of the total deaths, which was 42%. Falls from heights was second, raising a worrisome category by a staggering 71% from 2022 to 2023; with 29 fatalities in 2023, up from 17 in the previous year.

The mental conditions associated with work have become more prevalent, so that they now comprise 11% of all severe injured workers’ claims. These types of cases entail more time off work than other forms of workplace injuries; the median days lost are more than five times the value of other injuries. There has been a near doubling of mental health claims where workplace stress and psychosocial risks contributed, in the last ten years.

Other effects that are associated with work-related injuries and illnesses also impact the workers, their families and the economy. The summary of the research undertaken by Safe Work Australia is that reduction of workplace injuries/illnesses may translate into economic gain for the Australian economy by $28.6 billion annually. This would theoretically lead to the creation of an additional 185,500 full-time jobs and wage increases across all sectors.

Australian companies' occupational injury rate stands at 3.5 percent as compared to the global rate of 12.1 percent; though the figures keep on rising in terms of fatalities and severe injuries in recent years, indicating that there is still a lot to be done. The CEO of Safe Work Australia, Marie Boland, has said that there is no acceptable workplace fatality

“We cannot be complacent.”

The Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 report is an important wake-up call to all the Australian industries.

Sources:

Key Work Health and Safety Statistics 2024 - Safe Work Australia, Sept 2024

Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 Report

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