October is recognised by Safe Work Australia as National Safe Work Month; a time where both workers and employers across Australia have conversations about safety-related topics and commit to creating safe and healthy workplaces.
In conjunction with this, we wanted to do our part and help raise awareness of Work Health & Safety – posts will be shared across our socials, and blogs will also be posted to our website with WHS tidbits for both individuals and organisations!
What is National Safe Work Month (NSWM)?
Safe Work Australia, as the national policy body for work health & safety (WHS) matters, promote National Safe Work Month each year in October. The campaign encourages individuals and organisations to prioritise WHS and to take preventative action to reduce the number of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
It aims to promote a positive safety culture and to emphasise the value of good WHS practices.
Each NSWM has an annual safety-related theme, and each week of the month is dedicated to a specific WHS area.
The month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of WHS and highlight the collective benefit of safe and healthy work for everyone. Data from 2022 shows that almost 200 workers were fatally injured at work, and over 127,000 serious workers’ compensation claims were made during that year – no job should be unsafe, and no death or significant injury is acceptable.
For 2024, the theme for National Safe Work Month is “Safety is everyone’s business”.
The theme encapsulates a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right across all industries and occupations, while reinforcing the business benefit that comes from committing to safer workplaces. It emphasises positive outcomes resulting from good WHS risk management, highlighting individual, organisational and wider community benefit.
How can I find out more about NSWM?
Visit the Safe Work Australia website for more information, including resources for organisations, NSWM events, and general WHS information:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/national-safe-work-month
What can I or my employer do to improve Work Health & Safety processes?
EVERY business/employer has a duty of care to provide a safe work environment for all employees, clients/customers and visitors. Now is the perfect time to ensure you align with legislative requirements. Unsure of where to begin? The team here at LCS can help!
If you don’t have documentation in place, trust us to provide this service to you. If you do have documentation in place, when was it last reviewed? With constant changes to WHS legislation it is imperative that all work safe related policies and procedures are continuously updated. You can trust us to review your policies and procedures and provide you with a compliant Work Health Safety Management System.
We can assist you through services such as:
- Developing Policies & Procedures
- Creating SOP, SWMS & JSA templates
- Implementing Evacuation Maps & Drawings
- Conducting Walk-through Inspections & Providing Safety Recommendations
- Setting up your business with our Safety Leadership App
Contact us for a free quotation or to enquire about any of our WHS related services.