SafeWork Australia has issued updated Work Health and Safety (WHS) ‘snapshots’ for seven industries identified as national priorities, including public administration.
The Agency said the snapshots now available provided an insight into the key national data and WHS issues of the industries and contributed to the overall awareness and improvement of WHS in Australia.
The industries identified for the snapshots were: Accommodation and food services, Agricultur, Construction,Health care and social assistance, Manufacturing, Public administration and safety and Transport.
With respect to public administration, the snapshot found it accounted for six per cent of total employment in Australia and included three sub-industries: Public administration; defence, and public order, safety and regulatory services.
It found that worker fatalities were relatively low with seven deaths per year, but serious claim rates were slightly higher than average with 7.1 serious claims per million hours worked, although this had declined by 33 per cent since 2010-11.
“Workers aged 35-to-54 years account for the majority of worker fatalities and have the highest serious claim frequency rates,” the snapshot says.
“The public order, safety and regulatory services sub-sector accounts for over 50 per cent of serious claims and 46 per cent of worker fatalities.
“Protective security workers account for 29 per cent of worker fatalities and 46 per cent of serious claims. Vehicle incidents account for 46 per cent of worker fatalities.”
The snapshot reveals that falls on the same level and muscular stress while handling objects each accounted for 14 per cent of serious claims.
The six-page Public Administration and safety snapshot can be accessed at this PS News link.
