WorkSafe warns against safety shortcuts in end-of-year rush
14 Dec 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
WorkSafe Victoria is urging employers to keep safety a priority as end-of-year workloads intensify. Inspectors will visit retail, hospitality and construction workplaces over the Christmas period.
The festive season can increase pressure across construction, retail, transport, warehousing, hospitality and agriculture, as businesses face project deadlines, customer demand and harvest workloads. Between 2021 and 2023, the final two months of the year accounted for 40 work-related deaths and more than 12,750 injury claims accepted by WorkSafe.
Another four workers have died since the start of November this year. WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said risks affected every industry, with the push to finish projects or meet demand sometimes pushing safety out of focus.
"There is no end-of-year deadline, order fulfilment or customer demand that is worth the risk of a debilitating injury and not getting to spend the holiday season with the ones you love."
The busy holiday period can also increase workers’ exposure to fatigue, violence and aggression, particularly in public-facing jobs. Mr Jenkin said employers needed to set realistic workloads, provide the information and training workers needed, and have systems to prevent and respond to fatigue and work-related violence.
Mr Jenkin said unreasonable workloads and exposure to violence and aggression were unacceptable. He also stressed the importance of adequate training, induction and supervision for all workers, including those starting their first job, and ensuring they understood their right to a safe workplace.
WorkSafe will visit retail and hospitality venues during Christmas to check employers are meeting their obligations, with a particular focus on preventing and managing occupational violence and aggression.
Construction inspectors will check that builders and contractors are not taking safety shortcuts to complete projects. They will also check that sites are shut down safely and do not endanger members of the public during the break.
The safety focus also extends into the new year, when some sectors operate with fewer workers before activity increases after holiday shutdowns. WorkSafe reported 13 work-related deaths during January over the past three years.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace safety and identify areas that may need attention during the end-of-year rush. Take the free WHS self-check