WorkSafe Victoria news
New Campaign to improve the safety of Young Workers
The Andrews Labor Government is warning employers to protect young workers and making sure young Victorians are aware of their rights through a powerful new campaign launched yesterday. Minister for Workplace Safety Jill Hennessy and WorkSafe Chief Executive Colin Radford launched the new campaign, at Melbourne’s KereKere Green Cafe.
The campaign is part of a social experiment which saw young workers aged 18-25 asked to participate in a mock job information session for a research company. Participants were asked a series of questions about the risks they were willing to take to secure employment – revealing young workers lacked the confidence to question unsafe working conditions.
Twenty-one of the 23 participants said they would accept that their employer had no responsibility for their health and safety, that they would work without first being trained, accept bullying and harassment in the workplace, and accept unsafe work conditions to secure and maintain employment. Almost all of the participants displayed vulnerability in speaking up when they were uncomfortable about having their health and safety compromised.
Ms Hennessey said, "This campaign reveals how our young Victorians are vulnerable to injuries in the workplace and reminds us of the importance of making sure they know they have the right to come home safe from work at the end of each day.”
The interviews will feature in the campaign through a series of online and print advertisements, which discuss the unique pressures young workers face. The campaign will also be supported with education for employers and young workers to increase awareness of their rights and responsibilities.Mr Radford added, "With more inspectors completing more inspections than ever before, WorkSafe will not hesitate to take enforcement action where it finds employers failing to meet their health and safety obligations.”
Source: Victorian government media release
March 20: Jobs At Home Day
On Jobs At Home Day, Friday 20 March, Victorians can create a customised sticker featuring a fun job at home title such as Chief Cuppa Maker or Master of All Things Doggo – a reminder to return home safely to where they're needed most.
WorkSafe Chief Executive Colin Radford said the stickers are a fun, wearable way to start a conversation about workplace safety. "We know being injured on the job changes everything at home," Mr Radford said. "A workplace injury isn't left behind when you clock off," he said. "I'm the Unpaid Uber Driver in my house, and for me that's a pretty important reason to get home safe every day."
In the past two years almost 20,000 Victorians have taken part in Jobs At Home Day. This year, WorkSafe is hosting coffee carts around Melbourne and regional Victoria where people can receive a Jobs At Home Day sticker and stay for a free coffee. The stickers are designed to be displayed on laptops, hard hats, phones or notebooks. Those participating can also enter a competition to win $1000.
To order a free, customisable sticker, and learn more about the competition and pop-up cafes, visit the Jobs At Home website.
National Fatality Statistics
Safe Work Australia has updated its statistics since the last edition of SafetyNet. As at 27 February, there had been 28 worker fatalities notified to the national body - seven more since the previous update on February 13. All seven were in the Transport, postal and warehousing sectors. SWA is still saying that these are preliminary figures, and are based mainly on media reports.
The fatalities this year have come from the following industries:
- 11 in Transport, postal & warehousing
- 7 in Construction
- 5 in Public administration & safety
- 3 in Mining
- 1 in Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- 1 in Manufacturing
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.