As the festive season draws near, please keep safety at work uppermost in your mind.
At this time of year workers are more likely to die in November and December than any other time of the year.
Worksafe Victoria notes over the past decade almost 25 per cent of all workplace fatalities occurred in November and December.
Almost 25 per cent of workplace fatalities occur in the final eight weeks of the year.
2016 saw 19 workers lose their lives, 8 of those during the final 8 weeks
In 2017, 26 people have already died at work this year and 26 families will spend Christmas grieving for a loved one who died at work this year.
Christmas is traditionally busy with employers and employees rushing to meet tighter deadlines and complete projects. In agriculture, it’s farmers harvesting crops or hay. In the construction sector, its builders, tradesmen and contractors trying to finish projects, and in manufacturing, its factories and warehouses trying to finalise and complete orders before the holiday shutdown.
Many serious injuries and fatalities at this time of the year involve experienced workers doing routine normal activities, this suggests their minds were not fully on the tasks at hand.
Remember the safest workplace is the one where employers and workers stop, take the time to think about the work they will be doing, and plan to do it as safely as possible. This could mean bringing in more resources or factoring in extra time. While this may cost a little more, the cost of a fatality or serious injury far outweighs the cost of missing a deadline safely.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility, so it’s up to all employers and workers to work together to make sure fatalities do not happen.
Don’t become a Christmas statistic. For the sake of your family and friends, make workplace safety your number one priority.