SAFE Work Month 2009 has officially opened at the Loxton Show in South Australia, with a focus on workplace injury prevention.
It is estimated that more than 135,000 Australians are seriously injured at work and more than 260 die as a result of work-related injuries every year.
The most recent figures (2005-2006) put the total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses to the Australian economy at about $57.5 billion, representing nearly 6% of Gross Domestic Product.
SafeWork SA says the toll can be substantially reduced through the adoption of safer work practices and a cooperative effort in the workplace.
Safe Work Month involves 260 free workshops to be held from 4 to 30 October 2009, with a week devoted to each of three South Australian regional districts.
Regional highlights include workshops to cater for the aquaculture, construction and mining industries, OneSteel Whyalla’s alcohol and drug testing programme, Nyrstar Port Pirie’s safety approach and ‘tenby 10’ project to reduce blood lead levels, and asbestos, electricity and height safety training.