SafeWork NSW has launched a new $3.2 million campaign aimed at making NSW the safest state to work in Australia.
The campaign, entitled “Safety starts with you”, has been developed in response to alarming statistics about workplace injuries and illnesses in NSW.
In 2015/16 alone, SafeWork NSW received reports of 30,902 major workplace injuries and illnesses, and 60 fatalities. The economic burden of workplace incidents in NSW is an estimated $17.3 billion, or 3.7 per cent of gross state product.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy, said while NSW has made good progress in improving workplace health and safety over the past decade, more work needs to be done.
“Since 2005, there has been a 49-per-cent drop in the number of workplace fatalities in NSW, and a 39-per-cent reduction in serious injuries and illnesses,” Mr Dunphy said.
“However, the current figures are still unacceptably high.
“Anyone with a job in this state has the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and whether you are an employer or a worker, and regardless of your industry, occupation or background, workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
The campaign includes paid advertising across a mix of media, as well as experiential activities such as radio competitions. The campaign’s full tag line is ‘No matter what you do, safety starts with you’ and is a direct and personal call to action.
As part of the campaign, SafeWork will soon launch a new free ‘Safe’ app that helps identify and resolve safety issues in a workplace. Users can create safety teams; raise, discuss and resolve safety issues; and attach photos.
Mr Dunphy said that a safety culture involved putting workers and their safety at the centre of a business.
“I urge businesses and workers across the state to get involved in the campaign and think about how they can create a safety culture in their workplace,” Mr Dunphy added.
The campaign is an outcome of SafeWork NSW’s Work Health and Safety Roadmap for NSW 2022, which aims to reduce workplace fatalities by 20 per cent and serious injuries and illnesses by 30 per cent.
For more information and to register your interest in the ‘Safe’ app, visit safetystartswithyou.nsw.gov.au or call 13 10 50.
SafeWork’s Safety Starts With You – 60 second TV ad can be viewed on YouTube.
News grabs of Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy can be viewed on vimeo.
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