QLD: regulator issues Christmas party warning
In advice that is useful for workplaces around Australia, the Queensland WHS regulator has issued advice on work Christmas parties, just as the holiday season draws close. The regulator says:
"With many workplaces starting to organise Christmas break up parties, employers are reminded the ‘silly season’ is not an excuse to disregard normal safe work practices, including responsible service of alcohol.
Employers should ensure staff understand what behaviour and conduct is acceptable, and what the repercussions are if they don’t act appropriately. Reminding people in advance of the policies around acceptable behaviour and conduct is a good start. Managers also have an important role to play making sure events go smoothly and people go home safely. Staff behaviour expectations do not change at a work function whether alcohol is involved or not. Workplace harassment, bullying and even violence are serious issues and losing inhibitions after a little too much cheer is no excuse."
Read more: Don’t let work Christmas parties spoil a safe working year
Safe Work Australia news
Fatality Statistics
SafeWork has not updated its stats page since the last edition: as at October 24, the number of fatalities notified to national body was 124 - this is 3 more than the previous update on October 10. The workers killed came from the following industries:
- 43 in Transport, postal & warehousing
- 28 in Agriculture, forestry & fishing
- 19 in Construction
- 8 in Mining
- 6 in Public Administration & safety
- 6 in Electricity, gas, water & waste services
- 5 in Manufacturing
- 2 in Professional, scientific & technical services
- 2 in Wholesale trade
- 2 in 'Other services'
- 1 in Administration & support services
- 2 in Arts & recreation services
To check for updates, and for more details on fatalities since 2003, go to the Safe Work Australia Work-related fatalities webpage and in particular, here.
Safe Work Australia has released a report on the fatalities in 2018: The report shows that in 2018, 144 people were fatally injured at work. The number and rate of worker fatalities have continued to decline in line with long-term trends.
“While these trends are encouraging, they are not a cause for celebration. Every work-related fatality is a tragedy, and there’s a lot more work to be done” Safe Work Australia CEO, Michelle Baxter said. “We know that work-related fatalities, injuries and disease have a devastating impact on workers and their families. Understanding the latest statistics can help identify ways to prevent these” Ms Baxter said. The Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2019 report is a high-level overview of national statistics on work-related fatalities, injuries and disease. Read more: Safe Work Australia media release.