Know safety, work safely – encouraging everyone to make health and safety a priority in the workplace.

October is National Safe Work Month.  The time of the year to commit to creating and managing safe and healthy workplace for all your employees.

Individuals, their families and the broader community are all impacted by work-related injury and illness. WorkSafe Victoria reported that 66 lives were lost in 2021 due to workplace injuries with an additional 23,000 workers being injured seriously enough to have a claim for compensation accepted.

This is why October is dedicated to being National Safe Work Month.  During the month of October, businesses, employers and workers across Australia are asked to join National Safe Work Month and commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.  There is more that we can do to improve workplace health and safety, and together we can make a difference.  Every workplace needs to take the time to properly assess their health and safety risks and plan how to eliminate or manage them.

So, what does having a healthy and safe workplace mean?  It means that your workplace is free from physical and psychological harm.  It is a positive, safe environment that benefits everyone.

Ideas for National Safe Work Month you can implement in your workplace

  • Encourage staff wellbeing – implement wellbeing programs
  • Organise health talks & health eating programs
  • Encourage physical activity
  • Conduct a safety training workshop
  • Implement a stretching & warm-up session prior to starting a shift
  • Host a session with a guest speaker on safety
  • Launching a new health and wellbeing initiative
  • Host a morning tea focused on wellbeing
  • Make mental health a priority in your workplace
  • Reward safety awareness

To find out more, visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au

To find out more about Work Safe Victoria’s WorkWell program visit www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/workwell