Worker deaths rise to 200 in Safe Work Australia’s 2024 report
18 Sept 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: Safe Work Australia
Work-related injuries claimed the lives of 200 Australian workers in 2023, up from 195 in 2022, according to Safe Work Australia’s latest national statistics. The report also shows an increase in deaths from falls and a growing share of serious claims involving mental health conditions.
Safe Work Australia’s Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 draws together national data on workplace fatalities, injuries and disease. While workplace safety has improved significantly over time, work-related harm continues to affect workers, communities and the wider economy.
Australia’s work-related injury rate is 3.5%, measuring the proportion of people who experienced a work-related injury or illness in the previous 12 months. That is roughly one-third of the global rate of 12.1%.
Six industries accounted for 76% of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and 61% of serious workers’ compensation claims: agriculture, forestry and fishing; public administration and safety; transport, postal and warehousing; manufacturing; health care and social assistance; and construction.
Vehicle incidents remained the leading cause of worker fatalities, accounting for 84 deaths, or 42% of the total. Falls from a height were the second-largest contributor, with deaths rising 71%, from 17 in 2022 to 29 in 2023.
Claims involving mental health conditions continued to rise in 2023 and represented 10.5% of all serious claims. The median time away from work for these claims was more than five times that recorded across all injuries and diseases.
Safe Work Australia CEO Marie Boland said: “All workers have the right to a healthy and safe working environment and any workplace death is unacceptable.”
“While Australia compares favourably to the rest of the world, the fact that 200 people did not come home from work in 2023 reminds us that we cannot afford to be complacent.”
Boland said the data highlighted the importance of a strong legislative framework to protect workers and others, and called for action from those with work health and safety obligations and people working in WHS roles.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your business’s approach to work health and safety and identify areas that may need closer attention. Take the free WHS self-check