International Day of Mourning: Renewing Our Commitment to Safe Workplaces

The NSW Government has observed the International Day of Mourning by paying its deepest respects to workers who have lost their lives due to work-related incidents or disease, and by standing in solidarity with the families, friends and colleagues who continue to live with the consequences of these tragedies.

This day serves as a solemn reminder of those who did not return home from work, and of the profound and ongoing grief experienced by their loved ones. The Government and the people of New South Wales acknowledge this loss and recognise that no words can truly fill the space left behind.

As we reflect on the enduring impacts of workplace fatalities and occupational disease, the Government has reiterated its commitment to preventing further harm. Every workplace death is a tragedy, and even one life lost is one too many.

In 2025, 60 workers in NSW died as a result of work-related incidents. This confronting figure underscores the critical importance of robust work health and safety (WHS) management systems, effective Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), and strong workplace policies designed to identify, control and eliminate risks.

The Government has expressed its gratitude to workers and unions, employers, industry bodies, SafeWork NSW and all stakeholders who contribute to safer workplaces. There is a shared responsibility and a collective goal: that every worker returns home safely at the end of each day.

To strengthen accountability, the Minns Labor Government has introduced industrial manslaughter laws, ensuring that employers can be held criminally responsible where their serious failures result in a worker’s death. These laws are intended to drive safer practices, reinforce WHS obligations and ensure those responsible are held to account.

Significant measures have also been taken to tackle silicosis and other deadly dust-related diseases. Initiatives such as the Lung Bus and the Silica Workers Register, alongside the ban on manufactured stone, are supporting earlier detection, long-term health monitoring and more effective risk control. These strategies complement the need for comprehensive WHS policies and procedures to manage hazardous substances.

Transport gig workers are now covered by the state’s industrial regime, extending protections to a workforce that has often been vulnerable to unsafe conditions and limited rights.

The NSW Government has invested a record $127.7 million to establish SafeWork NSW as a standalone regulator and to fund 51 additional inspectors, representing the largest single uplift of inspectors in the agency’s history. This increased resourcing forms part of a broader $344 million Workplace Mental Health package aimed at strengthening mental health support, prevention strategies and early intervention in workplaces.

To ensure a broad range of perspectives inform WHS policy and regulatory decisions, the Government has formed the SafeWork Advisory Council, bringing together unions, employers and WHS experts. This collaboration is intended to drive more effective, evidence-based improvements in safety outcomes.

In addition, a first-of-its-kind Psychosocial Advisory Service is being established to provide tailored advice to workers and business owners on managing psychosocial risks, such as work-related stress, bullying, harassment and other hazards that can cause psychological injury.

Organisations seeking to strengthen their WHS frameworks are encouraged to implement comprehensive WHS management systems and clearly documented policies and procedures to support safe work practices. Resources are available to assist businesses in developing these systems, including specialist WHS management system templates and tools, such as those offered by providers like Bluesafe.

On this International Day of Mourning, the NSW Government has renewed its pledge to continue improving workplace safety so that every person who heads to work can return home safely to their loved ones.

Minister for Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis, said the day is a time to honour workers who have died on the job or due to work-related disease and to stand with their families, friends and colleagues. She emphasised that we owe it to them to better protect every worker in NSW and reaffirmed the Government’s focus on improving WHS so that all workers return home safely at the end of the day.

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey highlighted that all workers have a right to come home safely and all families have a right to expect their loved ones will return. He noted that every life shortened by a workplace fatality leaves a trauma that resonates through generations, and reiterated unions’ commitment to creating the safest possible workplaces and ending preventable deaths at work.

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said that on the International Day of Mourning, we pause to honour and remember workers who never returned home and to acknowledge the families and friends who continue to grieve. She stressed that the day is also a powerful reminder of the responsibility every workplace has to keep workers safe. SafeWork NSW remains committed to ensuring every worker is protected and calls on all workplaces to renew their commitment to safer practices, supported by robust WHS systems, SWMS and risk controls, because every person who leaves for work has the right to return home.