Fatalities (Work-related deaths)
There is no single source of information that captures all work-related deaths in Australia. Safe Work Australia produces several reports that provide information on the circumstances of work-related deaths in Australia. Additional reports on work-related traumatic fatalities that occurred during 1989–1992 can be found in the archive section.
Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics
The most comprehensive source of information on the circumstances surrounding work-related injury and disease fatalities can be found in the annual Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics. However as this publication relies on workers’ compensation claims it is known to understate the actual number of workers who die from work activity each year.
View Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics
Estimate of Fatalities
This report provides an estimate of the number of people who died in Australia from work-related injuries, including those that occurred while travelling to and from work and bystanders killed as a result of another person’s work activity. This estimate is based on information from a number of sources: workers’ compensation data, coronial information and notified fatalities. Reports are available from 2003–04 onwards.
Notified Fatalities
Safe Work Australia also produces six-monthly and annual reports from fatality notifications. These are obtained from Australian state and territory OHS authorities. The reports include data on gender, age, industry, occupation and causes of death and are available from 2003–04 onwards.
International Comparison of Fatalities
This report compares the occupational injury fatalities of Australia with selected countries taking into account the differences in scope and methodology.
Page last updated: 12/05/2010