Eye on the Industry

New Safe Work Report Released

Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities Australia 2019 report has been released by Safe Work Australia.

The Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities Australia 2019 report provides the latest detailed national statistics on all workers and bystanders fatally injured at work. This includes breakdowns and trends of the data, including for industry, occupation, main cause and demographics in Australia. The 2019 report shows that over the last decade, the number and rate of work-related fatalities have been gradually decreasing.

In 2007, the fatality rate was 3.0 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2019, this rate has decreased by 53 per cent to 1.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The number of work-related fatalities recorded in 2018 represented an unusual decrease compared to the longer-term trends in fatality numbers.

While the number of work-related fatalities has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, any workplace death is tragic and unacceptable. Understanding the causes of injury and the industries most affected can help reduce work-related fatalities.

The report details that in 2019 62 per cent of worker fatalities occurred in the following industries:
• Transport, postal and warehousing (58 fatalities)
• Agriculture, forestry and fishing (30 fatalities)
• Construction (26 fatalities)

The most common causes of worker fatalities in 2019 were:
• Vehicle collisions (43%)
• Falls from a height (11%)
• Hit by falling objects (11%)

The report and data is drawn from a range of sources, including reporting of fatalities in the media, notifications from jurisdictional authorities, and the National Coronial Information System.

For more information visit https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/work-related-traumatic-injuryfatalities- australia-2019

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