New national data shows that Australian workers continue to experience high rates of illness and injury from work. Tragically, 200 workers were killed at work in 2023, compared to 195 in 2022, according to Safe Work Australia’s Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024. Over the past 10 years, there have been more than 1,880 traumatic injury fatalities in Australian workplaces, and over 1,165,100 workers have made a serious workers’ compensation claim involving more than one week of working time lost.
The annual publication provides a snapshot of work health and safety in Australia through national data on work-related fatalities, injuries and disease. According to SWA, the safety of work has improved significantly over time. Australia’s current work-related injury rate of 3.5 per cent (the proportion of people who experienced a work-related injury or illness in the previous 12 months) is about one-third the global rate of 12.1 per cent. But even reduced rates of work-related fatalities, injury and illness have a major impact on workers, communities and the broader economy.
Findings from Safe Work Australia’s research, Safer, healthier, wealthier, show that, in the absence of work-related injuries and illnesses, on average each year Australia’s economy would be $28.6 billion larger, 185,500 additional full-time equivalent jobs would be created, and workers across all occupations and skill levels would benefit from an average wage rise of 1.3 per cent.
The report found that 76 per cent of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and 61 per cent of serious workers’ compensation claims occurred in just 6 industries:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Public administration and safety
- Transport, postal and warehousing
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance, and
- Construction.
Vehicle incidents continued to account for the largest proportion of worker fatalities (42 per cent; 84 fatalities). Falls from a height was the second highest contributor to worker fatalities, with a concerning increase by 71 per cent since 2022, from 17 to 29 fatalities.
The report also found that claims for mental health conditions continued to increase in 2023, now accounting for 10.5 per cent of all serious claims. The median time lost from work in these cases is more than 5 times longer than that recorded across all injuries and diseases. Read more: download the Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024 report.