Business owners have many responsibilities but above all else they need to ensure that their employees are working in a safe workplace. Business owners must meet the workplace health and safety requirements set out in their state’s acts and regulations. Those who fail to do so are subject to tough penalties.

While more stringent acts and regulations, along with improvements in safety technology have made Australian workplaces safer than in the past, workplace injuries are still quite common, especially in labour-intensive roles in construction, mining and agriculture. These injuries, even when they’re relatively minor, can have a serious impact on a business’s fortunes. They can result in reduced productivity, lost sales, low morale and in some cases, the closure of the business altogether.

Workplace fatalities

Some industries and some roles pose greater safety risks than other. Unfortunately, fatalities, while rare, happen at workplaces throughout Australia. According to Safe Work Australia, the government agency responsible for improving workplace safety, 198 workers are killed in Australia each year. Of these fatalities:

• 34% involved vehicle incidents
• 13% involved falls in from a height
• 25% involved a truck

Serious claims

While the likelihood of suffering a fatal injury at work is very low, non-fatal injuries are common. In 2018, Safe Work Australia reported that 111,200 serious claims are made each year. Of these claims:

• 24% were made by labourers
• 16% due to muscular stress from lifting/carrying objects
• 16% due to muscular stress from handling objects

The most common injuries are to the back, knees and shoulders, which are often sustained lifting and/or handling objects such as crates, boxes and barrels. The high number of claims made each year demonstrate how serious Australian businesses should take their workplace health and safety processes, especially if they’re in a labour-intensive industry.

How Bayside Group can help?

It is essential that business owners understand and follow workplace health and safety acts and regulations. With this in mind, Bayside Group can work with you and your business to ensure your workplace safety processes follow state and federal legislation and reflect a safe working culture.

If you would like to know more about how we can support a safer working environment in your business, get in touch with our expert team today.