Victorian employers and workers have been urged to consider the lasting impact of workplace trauma after WorkSafe Victoria recorded 66 deaths in 2021. The fatality toll includes 43 people who died from workplace incidents and 14 people who succumbed to a disease contracted in the course of employment. Another five people lost their lives as a result of work-related transport accidents, with three further deaths due to work-related medical incidents. One worker also lost their life due to an alleged criminal act. In addition, more than 23,000 workers were injured seriously enough to have a claim for compensation accepted last year.

WorkSafe Victoria Chief Executive Officer Colin Radford said no-one in the community was immune to the devastating consequences of a death or injury at work and called on every workplace to properly assess its health and safety risks and plan how to eliminate or manage them, as failure to do so can lead to tragedy. “Hundreds of Victorians have just spent their first festive season without a loved one by their side because of a workplace death. Many others are themselves dealing with the pain and suffering from serious and often life-changing injuries suffered at work,” Radford said.

The 2021 workplace fatality toll was down from 73 the previous year. Radford added that high-risk sectors, including manufacturing, construction and agriculture, would continue to be targeted by WorkSafe inspectors, who made more than 39,000 visits to workplaces across Victoria in 2021. Radford noted that WorkSafe is committed to working towards a future where no-one loses their life at work, by taking strong enforcement action against those ignoring their health and safety obligations. “It’s simply unacceptable that we are seeing the same industries feature prominently in workplace deaths and serious injuries year after year,” Radford said.

Of the 2021 workplace fatalities, 40 deaths were recorded in metropolitan Melbourne while 26 occurred in Victoria’s regional areas, including nine in the Barwon South West region. Manufacturing was the deadliest industry with 14 fatalities, followed by construction with 13 deaths and agriculture, forestry and fishing with nine fatalities. Long-term contact with chemicals or substances was the top cause of death, accounting for 12 fatalities, including five related to asbestos and four related to crystalline silica; falls from height led to nine deaths; and falling objects were responsible for eight fatalities.

Vehicles and machinery were involved in 21 fatalities and were again the most dangerous hazard in Victorian workplaces. WorkSafe recorded 63 males who lost their lives, compared to three females. More than two-thirds of the fatalities were aged 45 or older at the time of their death. The youngest, an eight-year-old boy, was among three members of the public to lose their life in a workplace incident. The deaths of four workers were related to COVID-19.

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