SafeWork SA is reminding businesses of the importance of preventing falls.
Slips trips and falls are the second most common cause of all workplace injuries, after musculoskeletal disorders. In 2020 there were:
- 357 SafeWork SA interventions regarding falls from heights
- 2 in every 3 falls resulted in a fracture
- 95% of serious head and neck injuries were from a fall of less than 3 metres
Falls from height remain a high risk in Australian workplaces
Safety campaign to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in SA
While the construction industry was the leading industry for risk and injuries from falls, the manufacturing, recreation services, agriculture and transport industries have all recorded notifiable injuries in the last 12 months.
SafeWork SA Executive Director, Martyn Campbell said that every workplace that requires their workers to work at height must have adequate strategies in place to reduce the risk of a fall.
“Falls can occur on all kinds of work sites and to people performing all types of tasks. Employers need to have systems in place to prevent them. While falls are common and costly, they are also preventable”.
“Our inspectors will continue to visit residential construction this month to ensure the risks associated with working at heights and working safely are appropriately managed.”
“SafeWork SA would like to see how you’re making April a no falls month at your workplace. Post photos of your safe systems of work on Social Media with the hash tags #AprilNoFalls and #WHS, and we’ll promote the most impressive pictures.”
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