WorkSafe is calling on all businesses and workers to prioritise safety to help drive down the number of workplace deaths and injuries across Victoria.
According to new WorkSafe data, almost 26,000 workers were injured seriously enough in Victoria last year to make a claim. Manufacturing (4174 claims), health care and social assistance (3919), and construction (3284) were the industry sectors with the highest number of claims.
The main types of injury were musculoskeletal (8498), muscle or tendon injuries (4881) and lacerations or amputations (3367), while the main causes of injury were poor manual handling (9670), slips, trips and falls (5697) and being hit by a moving object (3932).
WorkSafe Chief Executive Clare Amies said that, despite the fact that Victorian workplaces had never been safer, the number of Victorians killed or injured at work remained “totally unacceptable.”
“Last year, 26 people lost their lives at work, and the youngest was just 21,” Ms Amies said. “No worker should ever lose their life simply because they were doing their job.”
According to WorkSafe data, while Victoria’s workforce has continued to grow, the number of workers injured at work had fallen steadily. Since 2011, there has been a 12.5 per cent drop in injury claims – from 29,567 claims in 2011 to 25,861 claims last year.
