Held on April 28, World Day for Safety and Health at Work provides an opportunity to reflect on how to prevent occupational deaths, injuries, diseases and illnesses. 

In 2020 alone, Safe Work recorded 194 work-related fatalities in Australia, and 120,355 serious injury claims. Of these, agriculture, warehousing, construction and manufacturing saw the highest rates of occupational deaths and injuries. 

Any workplace fatality is tragic and unacceptable, and will have devastating effects on their loved ones, their colleagues, and an organisation’s reputation. By raising awareness of the importance of health and safety in the workplace, Australian employers can implement an effective and preventative approach to work health and safety and ultimately save lives and reduce injury claims. 

This year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme is ‘Act together to build a positive safety and health culture’ and encourages workplaces to foster a culture in which everyone contributes to a safe and healthy working environment.   

Here, we look at some of the key factors that employers should consider when it comes to safeguarding employees in their workplace. 

Creating an OHS culture 

Cultivating a culture of health and safety within the workplace is a crucial component of reducing risks and hazards that can result in fatalities and injuries. An organisation with a strong OHS culture is one that places a high level of importance on safety beliefs, values and attitudes—and these are shared by the majority of people within the company or workplace. 

In this environment, workers feel comfortable raising concerns about possible OSH risks or hazards, and management is proactive in collaborating with employees to find appropriate, effective and sustainable solutions. This requires open communication and dialogue built on trust and mutual respect. 

Encourage and reward participation 

Participation of the workforce will be an important step in creating such a culture. Employers can engage those in leadership roles to motivate and inspire others to work towards achieving a particular safety goal or outcome using clear and consistent messaging. 

Furthermore, by giving employees a sense of ownership of health and safety procedures and practices, employers can increase overall participation. For example, when developing safety tools such as checklist inspections or safe work method statements, employers can actively seek out employee feedback and suggestions. The greater the sense of ownership, the greater likelihood of compliance. Recognising and rewarding compliance and participation can also help to reinforce its importance to the organisation. 

Focus on prevention 

Many workplace fatalities and serious injuries are avoidable if correct safety and injury prevention measures are taken. A large component of this is to heighten hazard and risk awareness through the likes of upskilling, re-training, holding regular toolbox talks, and offering Early Intervention Programs which can stop soreness becoming a serious injury. Acclaimed Workforce utilises these methods within its comprehensive Injury Prevention and Safety Management services, while also using Pre-Employment Screening to reduce risks at the point of hire. 

Proactive identification and controlling of hazards and risk exposure are required under work health and safety laws, but are also cornerstones of a productive safety culture that takes safety beyond legal compliance. 

Agility and adaptability

Australian workplaces are continuously changing and evolving. This is particularly true of the manufacturing and agriculture industries, which are seeing an influx of new technologies and automations. Workplaces also need to contend with global factors that are often out of our control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to have a huge impact on workplaces across all industries. 

Throughout the pandemic, employers, small business and their workforces needed to adapt their OHS systems and procedures to ensure everyone’s safety. Navigating these ever-changing circumstances has exemplified the importance of remaining agile when it comes to health and safety. 

Employers should consider regularly assessing their workplace health and safety systems and practices to ensure they are abiding by current OHS legislation. It will also be important to address the individual requirements of their workplace, such as the introduction of new machinery, or providing specific assistance or training to individuals. 

Mental health and psychological safety 

When it comes to workplace health and safety, it’s easy to focus on the need to reduce physical risks and hazards. But it is becoming increasingly recognised that mental ill-health is an issue that employers need to incorporate into their health and wellbeing programs. Over the last 12 months, for example, 25.1 percent of men working in trades and industrial roles experienced mental illness, compared to 18 percent of other Australian men. Research suggests that one of the major reasons why these rates are so much higher for these roles is due to the stigma and lack of mental health literacy that permeates these male-dominated industries. 

For mental health to become an open, honest conversation in the workplace, employees need to feel “physiologically safe”. That is, they feel safe to voice opinions, take risks and ask questions without fear of being criticised or judged. 

According to the State of Wellbeing in Construction report, it was found that semi-skilled workers find it difficult to discuss feelings and emotions with colleagues, and the nature of the work has made social support more difficult. Employers and team leaders can work to create more emotionally safe and supportive environments by demonstrating empathy and being transparent about their own mental health struggles. Doing so can help create the kind of environment where it's ok to be vulnerable at work, a without the fear of facing a negative response from colleagues or management. 

If you require workplace safety management services, find out more about Acclaimed Workforce’s AS/NZS 4801 certified services here, which can help you reduce the risk of injury and fatalities in your workplace.