The World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day – also styled as International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) – is observed annually on Wednesday 28 April.
IWMD provides an opportunity to reflect on how to prevent work-related occupational diseases, deaths, injuries and illnesses. It is also a day to remember those that have died from a work-related injury or illness.
While the number of work-related fatalities in Australia has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, the latest finalised data shows that in 2019, some 183 workers were fatally injured at work.
Meanwhile, data drawn from the past decade by Safe Work Australia suggests that around 91 per cent of workers’ compensation claims involving a mental health condition were linked to work-related stress or mental stress; with the most common injury or illness mechanisms involved including work pressure, work-related harassment and/or bullying and exposure to workplace or occupational violence.
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme for 2021 as set by the International Labour Organization is Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises and invest now in resilient OHS systems.
The theme acknowledges the impact that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had on our working lives and the importance of building an effective, resilient, and adaptable WHS framework.
For more information visit the Safe Work Australia website.
