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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

ACT is the ‘least safe place to work’

A RECENT report released by Safe Work Australia shows that the ACT is the least safe jurisdiction in Australia to work, with injury rates in the private sector increasing by 25.5 percent since 2011. 

Alex White
UnionsACT secretary Alex White.
Rates of injury in the ACT during the most recent reporting period are at 12.3 serious claims per 1000 employees, compared to the Australian average of 9.3 serious claims.

Secretary of UnionsACT Alex White says: “It is appalling and unacceptable that the ACT is the least safe place to work anywhere in Australia.”

“We need Work Safe ACT focused on enforcing workplace safety laws, and holding unscrupulous, unsafe employers to account,” he says. 

“Sadly, the lobbying of some big business groups over the past two years, and unfounded claims that workplace safety concerns are a ‘myth’ appear to have worked.

“How many more serious injuries and workplace fatalities does Canberra need before safety is treated seriously?”

The ACT has also recorded the largest decrease in the number of infringement notices issued in 2014-15 (down 70 percent), compared to the previous year.

On an industry basis, the ACT continues to show some of the worst workplace injury rates in Australia. In the construction sector, the number of serious claims has increased from 21.8 serious claims per 1000 employees to 29.1.

Activity 2013-14 2014-15 Change
Number of infringement notices issued 43 13 -69.8%
Number of improvement notices issued 832 369 -55.6%
Number of prohibition notices issued 195 133 -31.8%
Number of workplace visits (proactive) 490 442 -9.8%
Number of workplace visits (reactive) 2384 2247 -5.7%
Source: Safe Work Australia Comparative Performance Monitoring 18th Edition

 

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