Transport industry fatalities too high

Continuing a worrying trend, the transport industry has once again topped the nation’s work-related fatality numbers. According to Safe Work Australia (SWA), 140 Australians have been killed at work this year (as at 21 October), 37 of those from the transport and storage group.

As seen in the the graph below, overall numbers are on par with 2013 and down considerably from 2012, but transport and storage industry deaths have already exceeded 2013 totals. In addition, SWA suggests that transport and storage workers aged 35 to 44 years record an injury rate 75% higher than the rate recorded by all Australian workers of this age.

Under the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012, five industries (including transport and storage) were identified to receive priority attention in the overall goal of reduction in the incidence of work-related injury by at least 40% by 30 June 2012. Overall occurrence rates for transport and storage workers declined during that time, but deaths occurring in the five years from 2007 to 2012 equated to 11.41 fatalities per 100,000 workers, or around five times the national rate of 2.29. The vast majority of these deaths involved trucks, followed by aircraft, cars, buses, trains, watercraft, forklifts and excavators.

SWA wants Australian businesses to focus on the creation of a safe work environment in a bid to reduce the annual fatality tally.

Image credit: Safe Work Australia