Unsafe, uncertified and non-compliant processes and equipment dramatically increase the risk of injury on-site. Reports prepared for Safe Work Australia highlight the true cost of work related injuries. Time lost due to injury alone costs the Australian economy $30 billion, this represents a massive 2% of Australia’s GDP. Understanding the costs associated with injury makes it a lot easier to understand the need to create the safest, most compliant working environment possible.

Lost time

The lost time associated with injury in Australia is massive. More than 50,000 of these injuries require at least 1 full week off work, while the average time lost per incident is 4 weeks. An alarming statistic is 25% of workplace injuries require 12 or more weeks away from work. These figures represent huge periods of lost time for the employee and the employer, severely damaging profitability and productivity.

Mining

In Western Australia alone, there is an average of 3000 compensation claims per year, 38% of these require more than 60 days off work. These figures equate to over $120 million paid in compensation alone, the loss of time and productivity represent a far greater cost.

High risk occupations include; machinery operators, labourers, technicians and trade workers. These individuals are the most injured employees on a mine-site due to the nature of their work and the hazards they are potentially exposed too. Employing the correct mitigation measures is incredibly important to make these high-risk positions safer. Creating less incidents, less lost time and improved productivity.

Top 5 injury locations (WA) 2016-17

Your personnel

Providing you and your team with a safe working environment governed by safe practices improves morale, efficiency, productivity and staff retention. Safety provides peace-of-mind, without it key talent is at risk of departure to a workplace that can provide the safety requirements they deserve.

The potential costs of unsafe practices and working environments extends beyond economic loss, it is incredibly important for organisations to understand the complete implications an unsafe workplace can have. As well as the huge benefits that safety can provide.

Making sites safer

Certification and compliance with Australian Standards is an integral part of a safe site. Creating an environment with certified processes and equipment ensures workers are operating under the safest the conditions possible and the equipment they are using has been approved for its intended use.

Certification and compliance with Australian Standards makes sites safer, products and processes are assessed for high performance and give operators the confidence to perform their duties safely. If you would like to learn more about the benefits certification and compliance can add to your site, download our free whitepaper “10 Valuable Benefits Certification and Compliance Can Add to Your Site”

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