The 116 count, provided by Safe Work Australia, is up from this time in 2018 when there were 106 fatalities at work. Of the 116 who have died this year, 38 were employed in the transport, postal and warehousing industries, with deaths in these sectors up from 34 this time last year. There were 28 deaths in the agricultural, forestry and fishing industries, up from 23 from January 1 to September 26, 2018.
Larry Drewsen, senior health and safety manager with Employsure, a workplace specialist firm, notes that “from frontline workers and employees all the way to upper management, it’s essential that everybody works together to ensure every Australian worker arrives home safely and without injury after each and every shift.”