New campaign aims to make NSW the safest state

After reports of 60 workplace fatalities in 2015–16, SafeWork NSW has launched a new campaign that aims to make NSW the safest state in Australia.

The $3.2 million campaign is titled ‘Safety starts with you’ and is designed to help combat major workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

The campaign includes paid advertising across a mix of media, as well as experiential activities such as radio competitions.

“Since 2005, there has been a 49% drop in the number of workplace fatalities in NSW and a 39% reduction in serious injuries and illnesses,” said the executive director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy.

“However, the current figures are still unacceptably high. Anyone with a job in this state has the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and whether you are an employer or a worker, and regardless of your industry, occupation or background, workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

As part of the campaign, SafeWork will soon launch a new free ‘Safe’ app that helps identify and resolve safety issues in a workplace. Users can create safety teams; raise, discuss and resolve safety issues; and attach photos.

Dunphy said that a safety culture involved putting workers and their safety at the centre of a business.

“I urge businesses and workers across the state to get involved in the campaign and think about how they can create a safety culture in their workplace.”

The campaign is an outcome of SafeWork NSW’s Work Health and Safety Roadmap for NSW 2022, which aims to reduce workplace fatalities by 20% and serious injuries and illnesses by 30%.

In 2015–16 alone, SafeWork NSW received reports of 30,902 major workplace injuries and illnesses, as well as 60 fatalities. The economic burden of workplace incidents in NSW is an estimated $17.3 billion, or 3.7% of gross state product.

For more information and to register interest in the Safe app, visit www.safetystartswithyou.nsw.gov.au or call 13 10 50.

SafeWork’s ‘Safety starts with you’ TV ad can be viewed below.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Tashatuvango