‘200 people did not come home’: Safe Work report highlights alarming statistics

Safe Work Australia has released its Key Work Health and Safety Statistics 2024 report, showing a snapshot of how the health and safety of Australian workers is fairing.

Throughout Australia, health and safety in workplaces has drastically improved over the years. Phillip Wise, director of data improvement and analysis at Safe Work Australia, told HR Leader that achieving this was a “collaborative endeavour”.

Wise agreed that it was a combination of stringent health and safety protocols paired with a diligent workforce. However, Wise went on to say that although improvements have been made, there is still a way to go – noting that no occupation or industry is immune to workplace incidents, despite some being more prone than others.

This was reinforced in the report, which highlighted that tragically, in 2023, there were 200 people fatally injured at work in Australia. Ninety-five per cent of worker fatalities were male.

“All workers have the right to a healthy and safe working environment, and any workplace death is unacceptable,” said Marie Boland, Safe Work Australia chief executive.

“While Australia compares favourably to the rest of the world, the fact that 200 people did not come home from work in 2023 reminds us that we cannot afford to be complacent.”

In terms of what industry or occupation accounted for the largest proportion of these tragic workplace fatalities, vehicle incidents have continued to be the main catalyst (42 per cent). Machinery operators and drivers had the highest number of fatalities by occupation (73 fatalities). The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry had the highest worker fatality rate (9.2 per 100,000).

Mental health conditions were a focal point in the report, with these conditions accounting for 10.5 per cent or 14,600 serious claims in 2022–23. This accumulated to a 19.2 per cent increase in 2021–22 and a 97.3 per cent increase compared with 10 years ago.

The numbers are staggering, and Wise pointed out that in the data, the public and education sectors were near the top in terms of serious claims for mental health conditions. The report also stated that these claims are often extremely costly, as they lead to significantly more time off work and higher compensation paid when compared to physical injuries and diseases.

Wise pointed out that this large increase in mental health conditions in the workplace could be put down to “psychosocial hazards being poorly misunderstood” throughout the Australian workplace. He believed that there could be a much better understanding of those hazards and risks, thus preventing this influx of serious claims from continuing to rise.

This is an issue that can be profound throughout blue-collar industries. Truck drivers, for example, are currently facing a mental health crisis as a retrospective mortality study found there were 513 “driver” suicides in Australia from 2001 to 2010. Of these, 98 per cent were male.

“Truck drivers are among some of the hardest working people in the country, with around 85 per cent doing an average [of] 49 hours a week,” said Naomi Frauenfelder, chief executive at Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds.

“With many working long hours, and often in an isolated environment, it’s no surprise that the road transport industry consistently ranks lowest for employee mental health and wellbeing. There’s a number of other challenges that come with the job, including demanding conditions, pressures of meeting tight schedules, financial stress, periods of isolation, and exposure to traumatic incidents on the road.”

Frauenfelder expressed that understanding psychosocial hazards that can arise in an industry as stressful and full-on as trucking is crucial.

“We aim to work with organisations of all sizes to provide practical solutions through useful tools, resources, and programs that help to create psychologically safe, healthy, and trusted working environments for all of their employees,” said Frauenfelder.

“We also know that good nutrition, exercise, and social connection have a huge impact on mental health and wellbeing and want to encourage people to implement small changes where they can.”

With the 2023 statistics being the baseline going forward, Australian organisations should be looking to continue to implement strategies and raise awareness around mental health and wellbeing. In terms of the fatalities, complacency is the biggest danger. As Wise explained, it doesn’t matter what industry or occupation; accidents can happen, but being complacent in your deterrence can spell disaster.