WorkSafe is urging employers and workers to slow down and think during the holiday rush, because everyone deserves to wrap up 2024 safely.
The festive season can bring a sense of urgency across many industries, whether it’s looming deadlines on construction projects, meeting a surge in demand in retail, transport and warehousing and hospitality, or working through a demanding harvest season.
However, a busy end to the year shouldn’t make for a dangerous one. Sadly, from 2021 to 2023 there have been 40 work-related deaths and more than 12,750 injury claims accepted by WorkSafe in the final two months of the year.
Tragically, another four workers have died since the start of November this year, leaving their families to enter the holiday season without a loved one.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said no industry was immune to the risks.
“For many workplaces, the approaching end-of year can be a frantic time and the drive to complete projects or meet customer demand can unfortunately mean safety is not always at the forefront of people’s minds,” Mr Jenkin said.
“There is no end-of-year deadline, order fulfilment or customer demand that is worth the risk of a debilitating injury and not getting to spend the holiday season with the ones you love.”
The hectic nature of the holiday period can also put workers at greater risk of fatigue and exposure to violent and aggressive behaviour, particularly in public-facing roles.
Mr Jenkin said it was important employers set realistic workloads, gave workers the information and training they needed to do their jobs safely, and ensured there were systems in place to prevent and respond to fatigue and work-related violence if it did occur.
“It’s unacceptable to burden workers with unreasonable workloads or leave them exposed to violence and aggression,” Mr Jenkin said.
“It’s important that all workers, including those who may be experiencing their first job, are adequately trained to perform tasks safely, are properly inducted and supervised and understand their right to a safe workplace.”
WorkSafe will be visiting retail and hospitality venues over the Christmas period to ensure employers are meeting their obligations, particularly in preventing and managing occupational violence and aggression.
Dedicated construction inspectors will also be checking that builders and contractors are not cutting safety corners to finish projects and are safely shutting down sites so they don’t pose a danger to members of the public over the break.
The need to prioritise safety continues into the new year, with many sectors operating with a reduced workforce before gearing up following post-holiday shut-downs.
Sadly, there have been 13 work-related deaths in the month of January in the past three years.
For more information visit worksafe.vic.gov.au/workplace-holiday-safety
