Benefit from a safe and healthy workplace

Work-related injury and disease costs the Australian economy $61.8 billion¹. During October, Safe Work Australia is urging employers to become workplace health and safety champions.

So far during 2019 (as at 1 August), Safe Work Australia figures show 83 people in Australia have been killed at work. Last year in Australia 149 people died doing their job (preliminary figures) and more than 106,000 people made a claim for serious injury.

Promoting and fostering a positive work health and safety culture is not only beneficial to all members of your workplace, it can create significant savings.

National Safe Work Month

October is National Safe Work Month. Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer Michelle Baxter said National Safe Work Month helped employers and workplaces run awareness initiatives on work health and safety and mental health.

“This year we want to let everyone know that anyone can be a champion for work health and safety,” Ms Baxter said.

“Workers, employers and organisations from any industry can all champion work health and safety at their workplace every day.”

“Being a leader for work health and safety and actively taking a role in supporting a strong health and safety culture is everyone’s business. Everyone can promote and mobilise the values, attitudes and behaviours for work health and safety at any workplace in any industry,” she said.

How employers can promote a safer workplace

From the boardroom to the work site, the CEO to the front-line worker, everyone can contribute to making the workplace safer and healthier.

Actions employers can take:

• Take a safety moment such as spending a few minutes every morning talking with your team about the hazards and risks that are in your workplace and the ways to prevent harm
• Create a mentally healthy workplace
• Have a plan to support employees when they return from work following injury or illness
• Help your employees understand their insurance cover.

Support your people returning to work from injury

As an employer, you can support the return to work of employees following time off for a work-related injury or illness.

The 2018 National Return to Work survey³ found the more than 4,600 survey respondents from across the country were generally positive about their employer being supportive following their work related injury or illness. Those who experienced mental illness, however, were not as positive about the support received from their employer.

Around a third (32.2%) of the respondents reported feeling that they thought they would be treated differently by people at work when putting in a workers’ compensation claim. Again, the figures were particularly concerning for those who had taken time for experiencing a mental illness. Of those people, 72.4% agreed with the statement that they thought they would be treated differently.

Of the people who returned to work following work-related injury or illness, the survey found:

• Around 38% of workers who returned to work reported that they worked reduced hours upon their return
• Those who experienced mental illness were the most likely to work reduced hours upon returning to work (53.7%)
• About 38% of workers who returned to work reported that they were performing slightly different/modified duties upon their return to work, while 19% reported performing completely different duties. 
   

 Find out more about National Safe Work Month

• Browse virtual seminar series. The series shares safety ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge in line with the priorities of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022
• Attend an event. Events across Queensland in October focus on designing healthy and safe work, fostering a culture of health and safety and the latest research and innovations in safety and return to work
• Download WorkCover Queensland’s Mentally healthy workplaces toolkit. The toolkit helps employers, managers and leaders eliminate and minimise risks to psychological health, and create workplace environments that are mentally healthy.

1. Safe Work Australia, accessed 16 August 2019 at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
2. APRA Life Insurance Claims and Disputes Statistics publication. Issued 28 March 2019
3. 2018 National Return to Work survey, The Social Research Centre for Safe Work Australia, September 2018, accessed 20 August 2019 at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au