This coming October, during National Safe Work Month, it’s a rallying call to all Australians from Safe Work Australia: make health and safety a key part of your business. Each year, this campaign observes a month in October to enact a nationwide emphasis on workplace health and safety across Australia, honing in on the significant importance of healthy work environments.
Work-related injuries and fatalities have far-reaching impacts that extend beyond just those directly involved, affecting families, communities, and industries at large. Statistics from Safe Work Australia reveal that in 2023, there were 200 fatal workplace injuries throughout Australia and an astounding 139,000 workers’ compensation claims for serious injuries from (2022-2023p).
The theme set for this year’s National Safe Work Month couldn’t be more apt; ‘Safety is everyone’s business’. It’s a message that underscores the demand for every workplace around the country to invest in the safety of their employees. Emphasising the invaluable contribution of effective work safety practices like the Bluesafe WHS Management System and SWMS to everyone in the workplace, the theme advocates strongly for WHS being treated as a fundamental principle and inherent right.
This National Safe Work Month, let’s put the spotlight on work health and safety, making it a core aspect of how we do business. It’s about ensuring that we have active measures in place to secure physical and psychological safety, ultimately safeguarding our workers. Regardless of occupation or industry, each worker has the right to return home safely after a day’s work, and Bluesafe SWMS plays a vital role in enabling this outcome.
Spearheaded by Safe Work Australia and reinforced with initiatives from members and representative organisations including Commonwealth, state and territorial WHS regulators as well as employers and unions, National Safe Work Month is truly a collective effort. To access resources related to the campaign, simply visit safeworkmonth.swa.gov.au.
Attributable quotes from Safe Work Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Marie Boland:
“Creating safe and healthy workplaces is a non-negotiable – this October, I strongly encourage workplaces across Australia to uphold safety as an integral part of their operations and actively participate in National Safe Work Month.
This year we are asking workplaces to integrate safety within the everyday processes of their workplace – constructing a work environment that’s devoid of physical and psychological harm is beneficial for everyone involved. Every worker, regardless of occupation or industry, is entitled to a safe and healthy work environment.
Make work health and safety an integral factor of your business not only during National Safe Work Month but throughout the year.”
For media enquiries: media@swa.gov.au.
Original article link: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/media-centre/news/prioritising-safety-work-everyones-business