Day of Mourning honours workers killed, injured or made ill at work

Figures from Safe Work Australia show 175 workers died at work across Australia in 2023. The International Day of Mourning draws attention to the preventable nature of workplace incidents and deaths.

A memorial service at Reflection Park in Sydney’s Darling Harbour will honour workers who have lost their lives in workplace incidents. The service will be streamed live through the Unions NSW website and Facebook page.

SafeWork NSW is continuing compliance activities across all industries as part of its work to reduce workplace incidents.

Head of SafeWork NSW Trent Curtin said workplace incidents could result in life-changing injuries, illness and death. He said the regulator would continue working with workers across the state so their voices were heard in efforts to reduce incidents.

Curtin said nearly 9,000 workplace incidents had been reported to SafeWork in the previous financial year, and that the regulator continued to encounter incidents that were avoidable.

“The International Day of Mourning is a day to remember loved ones who have been killed or injured at work. It reminds us all that we still need to have tough conversations regarding workplace safety and the too often tragic outcomes of workplace incidents.”

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