Safe Work Australia Week has begun

22 Oct 2012

In an alert from Safe Work Australia, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten encourages workplaces and workers across Australia to raise awareness of work health and safety during national Safe Work Australia Week.

“Each year up to 300 Australians are killed at work and in 2010-11 more than 127 000 Australians were seriously injured at work,” Mr Shorten said.

Around 25 Queenslanders die each year as a result of traumatic workplace incidents, and more than 5000 suffer a permanent injury.

“The human cost, the emotional cost, is immeasurable. We all need to work harder to reduce these horrific figures.”

The eighth annual Safe Work Australia Week starts today and runs until next Saturday.

This year’s theme is safety begins with ‘S’ but starts with YOU. The theme recognises that every worker across Australia can take small steps to improve work health and safety.

Across our nation thousands of workers will use the week to promote and improve health and safety practices in their workplaces and encourage their colleagues to be leaders in work health and safety.

Over 600 Australians have registered as Safe Work Australia Week Safety Ambassadors. Safety Ambassadors have access to a range of Safe Work Australia Week resources, which show their commitment to improving safety in their workplace.

For more information about national Safe Work Australia Week and to register to become a Safety Ambassador go to the Safe Work Australia Week website or the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website.