By Gaby Grammeno Contributor

The report, Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033: Baseline report on targets, documents where we’re up to in terms of megatrends shaping the Australian economy, targets for performance monitoring and action to address exposure to priority workplace hazards. 

The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033 aims to lower the toll of work injury and illness with fewer workplace deaths and serious claims, and less permanent impairment. It sets out an ambitious vision for WHS outcomes in Australia – safe and healthy work for all.

Priority areas for action

The 38-page baseline report acknowledges that achieving this goal will require sustained effort across identified priority action areas, including information and awareness, national coordination, data and intelligence gathering, health and safety leadership, and compliance and enforcement.

The report’s aim is to explore the baseline WHS context for Australia in 2023, setting out the data measuring current performance so as to assess progress over the next ten years in relation to a set of measurable targets, to drive systemic improvements in WHS outcomes.

The report presents the targets, explains why they are important and highlights where change is needed, as well as supplying a broader context with an accompanying technical report.

The evidence base for taking action

Evidence from a range of sources improves our understanding of where, and how, gains can be made, identify what works to deliver systemic change, and respond effectively to potential areas of increased risk.

The WHS and workers’ compensation systems operate in the context of persistent and emerging challenges due to the increasingly complex and dynamic nature of the changing world of work. These challenges include an ageing population, rising demand for care and support services, rapid technological adoption in workplaces, and work-health inequities.

The challenges intersect with megatrends shaping the Australian economy, and these complex interactions will require sophisticated and holistic approaches to address them.

However, a changing work landscape brings opportunities to improve WHS practices and respond more effectively to new or increased exposures to different types of harms or hazards that may emerge.

Taking effective action

Successful action will bring a renewed commitment to harmonisation, collaboration and common WHS fundamentals, so that health and safety is prioritised, businesses have greater certainty, and every Australian worker, no matter where they work, has the same safety protections. It will mean a WHS environment that prevents worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses from occurring through focused engagement, consultation and cooperation.

Without the economic burden of work injury and disease, the whole Australian community would benefit from the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs and wage rises across all occupations and skill levels.

Key focus areas

Key focus areas of the report are:

  • managing psychosocial risks and demographic shifts including an ageing population
  • new types of work and more complex supply chains
  • hybrid work
  • climate-related risks, and
  • the rise of AI, automation and related technologies.

The report also points to areas of the workforce that may need additional support, in particular, small businesses and individual workers who may be especially vulnerable to WHS-related harm.

Baselines and targets for measuring progress

The Strategy includes six quantitative and two activity-based targets for measuring progress against the overall goal of reduced worker fatalities, injuries and illnesses.

The targets include quantitative measures designed to assess reduction in work-related fatalities and injuries or illnesses, and activity-based measures designed to increase preventative action in key areas over the ten years to 2033.

The report sets out baselines (current performance) and percentage reductions aimed for in each target area:

  • a 30% reduction in traumatic injury fatalities (baseline average of 188 deaths per year)
  • 20% reduction in frequency of serious claims (baseline average of 125,420 serious claims per year)
  • 15% reduction in permanent impairment rates (baseline average of 15,338 permanent impairment claims per year)
  • a 3.5% reduction in the overall incidence of work injury and disease (ABS data showed 497,500 people experienced a work-related injury or illness in 2021-22)
  • a 20% reduction in work-related respiratory disease, and (baseline average of 782 respiratory disease claims per year), and
  • no new cases of accelerated silicosis by 2033.

What it means for employers

Safe and healthy work for all would deliver massive benefits to employers in terms of productivity and minimising disruptions, as well as to workers, their families and the whole community. As key drivers of progress towards this goal, employers may be able to improve their WHS performance by reviewing their own operations in the light of the key focus areas of the report, and particularly the areas where change is needed.

Read the report

Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategy 2023–2033: Baseline report on targets