On this page:
- Trends in work-related injury fatalities, 2003 to 2017
- Work-related injury fatalities by gender, 2017
- Work-related injury fatalities by age group, 2017
- Work-related injury fatalities by state/territory, 2017*
- Work-related injury fatalities by mechanism of fatal injury, 2017
- Work-related injury fatalities by occupation, 2017
- Work-related injury fatalities by industry, 2017
- Related information
Safe Work Australia compiles the Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities data set which provides national statistics on all workers and bystanders fatally injured at work. This data draws on a range of information sources, including:
- initial reporting of fatalities in the media or on relevant authority websites such as police, road authorities and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
- notifications to Safe Work Australia from the jurisdictional authorities, and
- the National Coronial Information System which provides confidential access to coroners’, police and other investigative reports.
Work-related fatalities resulting from diseases, natural causes and suicides are excluded. Further explanatory notes on the data can be found in the Explanatory notes for Safe Work Australia datasets.
Trends in work-related injury fatalities, 2003 to 2017
Work-related injury fatalities by gender, 2017
Work-related injury fatalities by age group, 2017
| Age group (years) | Number of fatalities | Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers) |
|---|---|---|
| less than 25 | 16 | 0.9 |
| 25-34 | 32 | 1.1 |
| 35-44 | 33 | 1.2 |
| 45-54 | 35 | 1.4 |
| 55-64 | 49 | 2.7 |
| 65 and over | 25 | 5.1 |
| Total | 190 | 1.5 |
Work-related injury fatalities by state/territory, 2017*
* Fatalities are presented according to the state or territory where the fatality occurred, not the jurisdiction under which the fatality fell.
Work-related injury fatalities by mechanism of fatal injury, 2017
Note: Only mechanisms accounting for 5 per cent or more of fatalities are included.
Work-related injury fatalities by mechanism of fatal injury, 2017
| Mechanism of incident | Number of fatalities | % of injury fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle collision | 60 | 32% |
| Being hit by moving objects | 35 | 18% |
| Falls from a height | 28 | 15% |
| Being hit by falling objects | 15 | 8% |
| Roll over of non-road vehicle | 10 | 5% |
| Drowning | 8 | 4% |
| Other mechanisms | 34 | 18% |
| Total | 190 | 100% |
Work-related injury fatalities by occupation, 2017
Work-related injury fatalities by occupation, 2017
| Occupation | Number of fatalities | Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers) |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery operators and drivers | 55 | 7.1 |
| Labourers | 56 | 4.6 |
| Managers | 26 | 1.7 |
| Community and personal service workers | 14 | 1.1 |
| Technicians and trades workers | 17 | 1.0 |
| Professionals | 18 | 0.6 |
| Clerical and administrative workers | 3 | 0.2 |
| Sales workers | 1 | 0.1 |
| Total | 190 | 1.5 |
Work-related injury fatalities by industry, 2017
Work-related injury fatalities by industry, 2017
| Industry of employer | Number of fatalities | Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers) |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 52 | 16.5 |
| Transport, postal & warehousing | 54 | 8.6 |
| Arts & recreation services | 8 | 3.5 |
| Construction | 30 | 2.7 |
| Wholesale trade | 6 | 1.6 |
| Electricity, gas, water & waste services | 2 | 1.5 |
| Mining | 3 | 1.4 |
| Rental, hiring & real estate services | 2 | 1.0 |
| Manufacturing | 6 | 0.7 |
| Public administration & safety | 5 | 0.6 |
| Other Services | 3 | 0.6 |
| Accommodation & food services | 5 | 0.6 |
| Administrative & support services | 2 | 0.5 |
| Financial & insurance services | 2 | 0.5 |
| Retail trade | 4 | 0.3 |
| Health care & social assistance | 4 | 0.3 |
| Education & training | 1 | 0.1 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 1 | 0.1 |
| Information media & telecommunications | 0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 190 | 1.5 |
Related information
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