Safe Work Australia has released its Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia report for 2024, providing a snapshot of work health and safety in Australia through national data on work-related fatalities, injuries and disease. The report revealed that 200 workers were fatally injured at work in 2023, compared to 195 in 2022.

According to the report, 76% of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and 61% of serious workers compensation claims occurred in six industries: agriculture, forestry and fishing; public administration and safety; transport, postal and warehousing; manufacturing; health care and social assistance; and construction.

Vehicle incidents accounted for the largest proportion of worker fatalities (84 fatalities, 42%), while falls from height was the second highest contributor to worker fatalities, with a 71% increase since 2022, from 17 to 29 fatalities.

Claims for mental health conditions continued to increase in 2023, accounting for 10.5% of all serious claims. The median time lost from work in these cases is more than five times longer than that recorded across all injuries and diseases.

The report also found that 95% of worker fatalities were male, with the highest worker fatality rate (9.2 per 100,000) recorded in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry. The traumatic injury fatality rate for workers in Australia has decreased by 19% since 2023.

There were 139,000 serious workers compensation claims in Australia from 2022–23, with an increase in the median time lost from work-related injuries and illness over the past 10 years. Body stressing was the leading cause of serious workers compensation claims (32.7%), followed by falls, slips and trips; being hit by moving objects; and mental stress. Mental health conditions accounted for 10.5% (or 14,600) claims from 2022–23, marking a 19.2% increase on 2021–22, and a 97.3% increase compared with 10 years ago. Workers aged 25–44 had the lowest serious claims frequency rate, at 5.6 serious claims per million hours worked.

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