Last year 191 Australians lost their lives as a result of their employment and a further 106,000 made claims for serious injuries says Safe Work Australia.
October is National Safe Work Month, and that means it is time to check your Workplace Health & Safety practices are up to scratch and see how you can help to improve them.
Since 2008, Safe Work Australia has been continuously developing national policy and guidance for Workplace Health & Safety and workers’ compensation. SWA has been running national campaigns to build awareness about WHS in the Australian community.
In the ten years since the inception of Safe Work Australia, the rate of work-related fatalities and workers’ compensation claims has steadily declined. However, there is still plenty of work to be done when it comes to safety and health issues in the workplace.
In the workplace, no death or injury is acceptable, and good practices and guidelines to follow make every workplace safer, which benefits the entire community.
October every year is National Safe Work Month, and Safe Work Australia ask employers and workers across the country to commit to creating safer and healthier workplaces for all Australians. Although the mining and resources have made massive changes over the last ten years to health and safety practices, the industry still has one of the highest rates of injuries and fatalities in the country.
It’s time for further change!
For every workplace, the goal should, of course, be zero fatality and have an aim for a very low injury rate, so if you see something on your site that could be potentially harmful, it’s up to you to report it.
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Risks Associated With Mining
It’s common knowledge that anyone working in the mining industry is at risk of injury at any given time during their working day. Some of the inherent risks associated with the mining industry include body stressing, manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders, which represents around 40% of workers’ compensation claims; being hit by moving objects or machinery, which accounts for 18% of claims, and slips, trips and falls which accounts for 25% of claims (with the majority of these arising from falls on the same level).
Mining Regulation
The Australian Government does not regulate WHS in the mining industry. WHS in the mining industry is regulated by states and territories.
View more commonwealth and national contacts
Safe Work Australia says this October take a safety moment and consider the impact of safety in the workplace and the broader community. Try to identify issues that could minimise the life-long impacts of injuries and illnesses on people like Betty. One safety moment could save a lifetime of pain and heartache.
During October each year, work health and safety consulting company Safetysure will be offering a free safety check at small businesses across Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne. The intent of the offer will be to help small business take the first step to improve safety and minimising the business impacts of a work-related injury or illness.
You can also find more information on the National Safe Work Month website from Safe Work Australia including posters and graphics specific to a range of industries.
You can also join in the campaign by sharing your safety moment using #mysafetymoment
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