Banner photo: James Costabile, Cheri Violi and Danni Wijesiriwardana of Safe Work Australia’s Data Improvement and Analysis team at their booth at the Safe Work Australia Research Summit in September.
Data supporting safe workplaces
Safe Work Australia’s work health and safety (WHS) data profiles are designed to provide a clear, evidence-based picture of the most common WHS risks faced by workers in key Australian industries and occupations.
Compiled by the Agency’s Data Improvement and Analysis team, these profiles combine national workers’ compensation statistics, occupational hazard data, and insights from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) into a single, accessible format which helps identify patterns in workplace injuries and fatalities.
This multi-source approach ensures a comprehensive view of both the frequency and nature of WHS risks across different occupations.
The profiles aim to support safe workplaces through a clearer, data-driven understanding of industry and occupation-specific hazards.
‘Our data profiles enable targeted interventions, better-informed policy decisions, more productive safety conversations and practical improvements at the workplace level.’
The first 3 profiles in the series, released over the last couple of years, are on Electricians, Nursing, care and support workforce and Truck drivers. We are aiming to release a profile on Retail and hospitality in 2026.
Emerging trends
Emerging trends often come to light through the Data Improvement and Analysis team’s process of research and analysis. For instance, the profile of the nursing, care and support workforce demonstrated a rise in mental health-related claims, especially among younger workers and those in community-based roles.
Prominent trends the team are finding across multiple industries include mental health hazards in the workplace and musculoskeletal injuries.
‘Psychosocial hazards including stress, fatigue, and exposure to violence are increasingly prevalent, especially in frontline and customer-facing occupations. Musculoskeletal injuries remain common, particularly in roles involving manual handling like nursing, retail, and transport.’
The team’s research is uncovering some interesting trends. For example, the frequency rate of serious claims for ‘falls from a height’ and ‘muscular stress while handling objects other than lifting, carrying or putting down’ was around 3 and 4 times higher for truck drivers than all other occupations.
In the nursing, care and support workforce, mental health claims have almost doubled over the last 10 years. The most common conditions – anxiety or stress disorder and reactions to stressors and post-traumatic stress disorder account for 8 out of 10 mental health condition claims. The frequency rate of claims due to ‘being assaulted by a person or persons’ is approximately 6.5 times higher in this workforce compared to all other occupations and this trend has increased over the last 10 years.
Driving evidence-based decision-making
Safe Work Australia’s data profiles are more than just numbers; they are practical tools that support informed decision making.
Government policymakers use the profiles to identify priority areas for regulation and education.
Businesses and employers gain insights into common risks enabling them to manage hazards more effectively, benchmark their own safety performance and identify extra training and support options.
Workers and unions benefit from greater transparency and awareness of occupation-specific hazards, empowering them to advocate for safer conditions.
By translating complex data into actionable insights, the profiles help drive evidence-based decisions, reduce harm and support continuous improvement in WHS outcomes.
For further information, including Safe Work Australia data reports and snapshots, please visit the Our Data. Your Stories website. Subscribe to our mailing list for updates on our data.