Every October is National Safe Work Month, a country-wide campaign promoted by Safe Work Australia; a time where workers and employers have conversations about safety-related topics and commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.
This year’s theme is ‘Safety: Every Job, Every Day’, as a reminder for all workplaces – regardless of occupation, industry, location, and size – to prioritise safety in their job every day. Week-by-week, practical resources are being made available that help individuals step through the risk assessment process, to guide discussions and activities through National Safe Work Month and into the future.
Key Work Health and Safety Statistics for Australia
Awareness and education is vital when it comes to helping to make workplace environments healthier and safe. Tragically, 188 workers lost their lives due to work-related traumatic injuries in 2024, and more than 146,000 serious workers’ compensation claims were made which involved at least one week of working time lost in 2023-24. While the fatality rate has decreased 24% since 2014, the figure has remained relatively steady in recent years.
The data from the lates report shows that 80% of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and 61% of serious worker’s compensation claims occurred in just 6 industries:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Public administration and safety
- Transport, postal and warehousing
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance, and
- Construction.
Vehicle incidents continue to be the largest contributor/cause of work-related fatal injuries at 42% of last year’s.
What’s more, claims for mental health conditions continued to increase in 2023-24p, and now account for 12% of all serious claims. The median time lost from work in mental health claims is almost 5 times that recorded across all other injuries and diseases.
The full release can be found here: Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2025 | dataswa
What can I or my employer do to improve Work Health & Safety?
Every employer has a duty of care to provide a safe work environment for all employees, clients, and visitors. Additionally, employees have a responsibility to follow workplace protocols, conduct processes safely, and report any risk or hazards as they are identified.
Whatever position you are in, you can start a conversation and take action on safety, and participate in National Safe Work Month. Whether it’s a through a toolbox meeting, a morning tea or lunch, or safety-focused event, there are resources and channels available to connect and raise awareness.
Visit the Safe Work Australia website to find resource, NSWM events, and general WHS information: National Safe Work Month 2025 | Safe Work Australia
What we can do to help you
With constant changes to WHS legislation it is imperative that all work safe related policies and procedures are continuously updated. Now is the perfect time to ensure you align with legislative requirements. Here at LCS, we have can assist you in establishing and maintaining Work Health Safety Management System.
We can assist you through services such as:
- Developing Policies & Procedures
- Producing Evacuation Maps & Drawings
- Creating SOP, SWMS & JSA templates
- Conducting Walk-through Inspections & Providing Safety Recommendations
- Setting up your business with our Safety Leadership App
- Educating your team on WHS matters through customised training workshops
Contact us for a free quotation or to enquire about any of our WHS related services.