SWA nominates a COVID-19 theme for National Safe Work Month

October is National Safe Work Month and this year’s national theme will be ‘Work Health and Safety through COVID-19’, Safe Work Australia (SWA) has announced. “This year’s theme acknowledges and reflects the impact of COVID-19 on work health and safety (WHS),” SWA Chief Executive Officer Michelle Baxter said. “The theme recognises that every Australian workplace has been affected by the global pandemic and that workplaces have had to adapt their practices and procedures to reduce the WHS risks associated with COVID-19.”

Campaign kit

Along with the announcement of the national theme, SWA has also released an associated campaign kit. “This year’s National Safe Work Month campaign kit provides online and printable resources including a digital brand kit, posters, web graphics, social media tiles and document templates which can be customised for a broad range of organisations and industries,” Baxter said. SWA has urged workplaces to start planning their WHS activities for October by joining National Safe Work Month.

To participate, visit the National Safe Work Month website, where a range of resources from the campaign kit can be downloaded. The resources can be customised and shared with work teams, supervisors and/or health and safety representatives. Workplaces can also follow SWA on social media, to keep up to date on new campaign materials, and use the hashtags #safeworkmonth and #safetytogether when promoting National Safe Work Month on social media.

“National Safe Work Month is a chance for workplaces to highlight the importance of leadership in fostering a culture of safety. Strong WHS practices and risk management is particularly important this year, with businesses and workers dealing with COVID-19,” Baxter said. “In the coming months, additional resources will be made available on the National Safe Work Month website, including animations and information sheets on COVID-19 WHS.”

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