Lost time work injuries down in WA

23/2/00
Labour Relations Minister Cheryl Edwardes today announced the latest figures on lost time injuries and diseases which reveal a nine per cent reduction in work-related injury and disease in 1998/99.
Mrs Edwardes said the data indicated a continuation of the long-term downward trend in workplace injury rates.
"The reduction brings the total rate of improvement since the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1988/89 to 38.3 per cent. In fact, the injury rate has fallen by 34.6 per cent since the Court Government came into office," she said
"Initial analysis of the data also highlights a massive 16 per cent reduction in the rate of manual handling injuries. This result reflects the impact of a range of prevention initiatives aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of these injuries.
"In addition to the results for workplace injuries and diseases, the number of traumatic work-related fatalities in 1998/99 was the lowest on record at 14 fatalities. There have been nine work-related facilities to date in 1999/2000."
Releasing the figures today, Mrs Edwardes revealed major reductions in a wide range of industries including mining, agriculture, hospitality and manufacturing.
"The workplace hazards in these industries call for extra vigilance in occupational safety and health issues and every one of them has achieved well over 10 per cent improvement in just 12 months," she said.
However Mrs Edwardes warned that serious attention needed to be paid to some key industries, such as construction, where injury rates had increased.
She said the Worksafe WA Commission had formed a new joint committee to help develop even stronger health and safety guidelines in the construction industry.
Known as the Construction Safety Advisory Board, the group involves industry and union representation and will address and respond to specific safety and health issues in that industry.
"The primary goals for the new group will be to develop both short and long term health and safety strategies for the construction industry and I look forward to seeing positive results flow from this initiative," she said.
"While we can be pleased with the overall improvements there needs to be a very clear message sent to all workplaces that there is no room for complacency where safety and health is concerned and where improvements are not being made."

Media Contact: Carole Cowling on 9421 7707.


NOTE
Data Source:
WorkCover WA.
Scope:
Workers' compensation claims involving at least one day of
time lost from work, ie Lost Time Injury or Disease (LTID)
Frequency Rate:
Number of Lost Time Injuries and Diseases per Million hours worked
(based on ABS data for hours worked)