There were 28 work-related notifiable fatalities during the month of August according to a monthly report from Safe Work Australia.
This figure represents a worrying 50 per cent increase on the previous month’s figures. It’s also the highest number of monthly recorded fatalities for over two years.
Nineteen of the fatalities were male workers, one was a female worker, five were male bystanders and three were female bystanders.
Of these fatalities, 7 workers and 7 bystanders died as a result of incidents in the air or on public roads.
Accidents involving vehicles remains the number 1 killer (13 fatalities) followed by ‘Hit by a Falling Object (4 fatalities) and ‘Trapped in Machinery’ (2 fatalities). The remaining 6 fatalities were all different
types of incidents, including a Vehicle incident–air crash.
Transport, postal & warehousing workplaces accounted for 7 fatalities, 6 fatalities occurred in Construction workplaces, 5 fatalities occurred in Electricity, gas, water & waste services and 3 fatalities occurred in Agriculture, forestry & fishing workplaces. Manufacturing, Arts & recreation services and Administrative & support services workplaces each had 2 fatalities. The final fatality occurred in a Public administration & safety services workplace.
The total number of workplace fatalities year to date stands at 162.
Read the full Safe Work Australia report by clicking here: Notifiable_Fatalities_August2014
Two words: cost cutting
Monthly data is not reliable enough to make any conclusions. It’s noise not signal Information. If you compare “Bystander- Public road & air” it’s gone up 700%!