5 Key Findings from Safe Work Australia’s Work-Related Fatalities Report 2020
On the 15th of November 2021, Safe Work Australia published the 2020 Work-Related Traumatic Injury Fatalities Report. The report provides national statistics on all workers and bystanders fatally injured at work, not including fatalities that occurred while the worker was commuting to or from work (commuter fatalities).
In this article, we look at the key findings from the report, then discuss ways that you can optimise health and safety management within your organisation.
Work-Related Traumatic Injury Fatalities Report 2020: Key Findings
Below are 5 key findings from Safe Work Australia’s report for 2020.
- In 2020, 194 workers were fatally injured at work – 186 fatalities were male, 8 were female.
- The age group with the highest number of fatalities, 55, was 55-64 years old, followed by 45-54-year-olds with 36 fatalities.
- 68% of fatalities were in 3 industries – transport, postal and warehousing (49), agriculture, forestry and fishing (46), and construction (36).
- 41% of fatalities were caused by vehicle collisions.
- The states with the highest number of fatalities were NSW and VIC. See map below for total figures by State.
Hazardous Industries
Safe Work Australia identifies that the following industries high numbers and rates of fatalities and/or injuries, or are by their nature hazardous:
- Agriculture;
- Road transport;
- Manufacturing;
- Construction;
- Accommodation and food services;
- Public administration and safety, and
- Health care and social assistance.
QSM Group has years of experience in supporting these priority industries with their health and safety management needs. Our extensive knowledge of ISO compliance, integrated management systems, and QHSE compliance, positions us to provide a quality consulting service that you can rely on to improve your internal business management and ensure health and safety compliance across your organisation.
Contact us today to see how we can help.
Work-Related Traumatic Injury Fatalities Australia 2020: Full Report
If you would like to read the full report from Safe Work Australia, you can access the report via their website here.
ISO 45001: Occupational Health & Safety
ISO (International Organisation for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental organisation representing the National Standard Institutes of over 150 countries. They develop and publish international standards in response to the needs of the international market and global expert opinions.
ISO 45001 lays out a framework to improve safety, minimize workplace risks and enhance health and well-being at work, enabling an organisation to improve its Occupational Health and Safety performance. It provides the minimum standard of practice to protect employees around the world.