Safety warning at Tasmania's Workplace Safe Week launch

Workplace Safe Week 2006 has launched in Tasmania with the news that workplace injuries fell by just 230 to reach 10,018 in the 2005-06 financial year.

Despite the OHS initiatives put in place in the past 12 months, this means 27 Tasmanians are still injured every day at work.

Labor Member for Denison, Graeme Sturges launched the Workplace Safe Week activities this morning and said that while the number of injuries was slowly declining, it was totally unacceptable that thousands of workers were being injured each year.

"The most common workplace injuries reported in the 2005-06 financial year were injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments, accounting for 3572 of the injuries reported, followed by open wounds, amputations and internal organ damage, accounting for 2593 injuries," Sturges said.

"The main causes of these injuries were body strain and being hit by moving objects."

Sturges then said that the aim of Workplace Safe Week was to encourage all workers and employers to focus on health and safety in the workplace.

Australian OHS educator, John Toomey also spoke at this morning's launch, offering some practical advice to employers.

"A purely physical approach to health and wellbeing in the workplace will only return limited results," Toomey said.

"By catering to the many facets of being a human, including emotions, habits and abilities, there are more avenues to achieving higher levels of health and wellness."

For more information on getting involved in Safe Work Australia Week activities in your state, contact your relevant WorkSafe/WorkCover body.

23/10/06