Oct 24th 2025 |
Safe Work Australia releases new work health and safety data
Safe Work Australia releases new work health and safety data
The short version: statistics published this October record 188 traumatic injury fatalities during 2024, alongside 146,700 accepted serious claims lasting a week or longer. Psychological harm is the fastest-growing category in this year's safety news.
Safe Work Australia has released updated information during National Safe Work Month, offering insights into occupational health and safety as well as workers' compensation throughout Australia.
Key figures at a glance
- 188 fatalities caused by traumatic injury in 2024
- 96% male among those who lost their lives on the job
- 146,700 serious claims, each lasting one week or more away from normal duties
- 12% of significant claims involved a mental health condition
- 161% growth in psychological claims across the past decade
What the report covers
The report titled ‘Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2025’ underscores important trends related to occupational deaths, injuries, and illnesses, and delivers valuable insights to assist in improving safety outcomes in workplaces across Australia.
Findings reveal that in 2024, 188 workers succumbed to traumatic injuries, with 96% of the deceased being male. Additionally, a total of 146,700 serious workers' compensation claims were reported, each involving a minimum of one week of lost working time.
Psychological harm stands out as the major trend
Mental health disorders constituted 12% of all significant claims, indicating a 14.7% rise from 2022–23 and a 161% rise over the past ten years. That trajectory is arguably the most notable safety news of the reporting cycle, mirroring the psychosocial hazard duties now enforced by regulators in every state and territory.
Why the figures matter for safety teams
Statistics of this kind are more than news; they reveal where controls fail most often, which industries carry disproportionate risk, and where prevention spending delivers measurable returns. Benchmarking such numbers against your own incident register remains a practical starting point.
Practical actions to take now
- Compare your injury and claim trends with sector results published by the regulator.
- Review psychosocial controls covering workload, fatigue, bullying and unreasonable behaviour.
- Refresh core documentation, including a WHS Manual template, so duties and responsibilities stay current.
- Confirm high-risk tasks carry activity-specific method statements, such as a winch safety Safe Work Method Statement.
- Update your WHS Policy template, then brief supervisors on every change.
More safety news and background reading
- Safe Work Australia's earlier WHS data update
- New work-related injuries and fatalities figures
- 10-year plan for improving health and safety outcomes
- Health & Safety Show
- World Day for Safety and Health at Work
Where to read the full release
Frequently asked questions
How often are these figures updated?
Key statistics get compiled annually, so anticipate refreshed news each October during the awareness campaign.
Who publishes the numbers?
SWA, the statutory agency responsible for policy development across Australia, draws data from jurisdictional regulators and scheme insurers.
What should employers tackle first?
Begin with your highest-risk tasks, verify controls at ground level, then treat the news as a prompt to retrain supervisors and update records.
Our team tracks regulator releases and translates them into practical guidance, so follow us for safety news updates and keep documentation audit-ready.
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