National Safe Work Month calls on workplaces to put safety first

Held each October, National Safe Work Month gives workplaces across Australia an opportunity to recognise the importance of work health and safety. This year’s theme, safety is everyone’s business, highlights the shared benefits of safe work and reinforces workplace health and safety as a fundamental right.

Safe Work Australia’s data shows 200 workers were fatally injured at work in Australia in 2023. There were also 139,000 serious workers’ compensation claims in 2022–2023, according to provisional figures. The consequences of workplace injuries and deaths extend beyond workers to their families and the wider community.

Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer Marie Boland urged workplaces to participate in the month and make safety part of their everyday business. She said workplaces free from physical and psychological harm benefit everyone, and that a safe and healthy workplace is a fundamental right across all occupations and industries.

Boland also called on workplaces to make work health and safety central to how they operate, both during National Safe Work Month and beyond October.

Safe Work Australia leads the campaign, with supporting initiatives around the country from its members and their representative organisations. These include Commonwealth, state and territory WHS regulators, employers and unions.

Information and campaign resources are available through Safe Work Australia’s National Safe Work Month website.

How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas that may need attention during National Safe Work Month and beyond. Take the free WHS self-check