Tom Phillips, AM
This October businesses, organisations and individuals across the country will be celebrating national Safe Work Australia Week. This is a time when Australians get involved in and focus on safety in the workplace by organising activities and events in their workplaces.
Workplace safety is an issue that impacts on thousands of Australians every year. More than
134 000 Australians are seriously injured at work each year and more than 220 die as a result of work-related injuries.
The most recent estimate of the total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses to Australia’s economy is $57.6 billion. This represents 5.9 per cent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product. For these reasons and because of my strong commitment to fostering safer workplaces, I am proud to be a national Safe Work Australia Week Safety Ambassador.
A number of individuals and organisations committed to safety within their industry and workplaces have joined me to become Safety Ambassadors to strengthen the importance of Safe Work Australia Week as a national safety initiative.
To improve our national work health and safety record we all need to recognise that workplace safety is not just the responsibility of the government and management, but rather a commitment that should be made by every individual. It doesn’t take a big budget to make a big difference.
I encourage businesses large and small to show their commitment to workplace safety by participating in Safe Work Australia Week 2011.
Tom Phillips
Chair
Safe Work Australia