NSW honours workers lost on International Day of Mourning

The commemoration recognises workers who did not return home and the continuing grief experienced by their families, friends and colleagues. The government renewed its commitment to reducing workplace incidents and deaths, while thanking workers, unions, employers, industry groups and SafeWork NSW for their contributions to safer workplaces.

The government outlined measures introduced to strengthen employer accountability, including industrial manslaughter laws that hold employers responsible for criminally unsafe workplaces. It also noted that transport gig workers now have protection under the state's industrial regime.

Measures to address silicosis and other deadly dust-related diseases include the Lung Bus, the Silica Workers Register and a ban on manufactured stone. The government also pointed to improvements in early detection and long-term monitoring, alongside its continuing work to identify further ways to protect workers.

A record $127.7 million investment has supported the establishment of SafeWork NSW as a standalone regulator and the appointment of 51 additional inspectors. The government described this as SafeWork NSW's largest increase in inspectors. The expansion also forms part of the government's $344 million Workplace Mental Health package, which supports stronger mental health assistance and injury prevention strategies.

The government has established the SafeWork Advisory Council, bringing together unions, employers and WHS experts to include different perspectives in decisions about workplace safety. It is also establishing a Psychosocial Advisory Service to provide tailored advice to workers and business owners on managing psychosocial safety at work.

Minister of Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis paid tribute to workers who died on the job or from workplace-related disease and expressed sympathy for their families, friends and colleagues. She reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving workplace health and safety so workers can return home safely to their loved ones.

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey said workers had a right to return home safely and families had a right to expect their loved ones to come home. He described the lasting trauma workplace deaths cause for families and friends, and reaffirmed a commitment to preventing those deaths.

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer honoured workers who never returned home and expressed sympathy for those mourning them. She said the day was a reminder of every workplace's responsibility to keep workers safe, reaffirmed SafeWork NSW's commitment to protecting workers and called on workplaces to renew their commitment to safer practices.

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