Today, Safe Work Australia released a new interactive data website that allows users to explore national work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation data in an intuitive and user-friendly way.
The new website provides a wide array of WHS data through dashboards, data collections and reports not previously available to the public. Website users can now explore and create their own charts and tables to explore insights into WHS data by industry, occupation, year, and mechanism of injury.
One of Safe Work Australia’s key roles is to collect, analyse, and publish data and information on WHS and workers’ compensation arrangements, including return to work.
A beta version of the data website was released in March 2023. This allowed for key stakeholders to review the website and provide useful feedback before today’s official launch.
Explore Our data. Your stories at: data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Baxter
“The release of our interactive data website is a significant milestone for Safe Work Australia and represents an important step in making more of our national work health and safety data available, easier, and quicker to access.
“The website provides work health and safety and workers’ compensation data at your fingertips.
“Safe Work Australia is committed to making work health and safety data publicly available wherever possible. As part of a broader data improvement project, the launch of the new data website builds on our discussions with key stakeholders who use our data including governments, researchers, industry, businesses, and the community.
“We know that reducing work-related fatalities, injuries and illnesses leads to healthier, safer and more productive workplaces. Around 120,000 workers are compensated for a serious work-related injury or illness each year and, while the number fluctuates, up to 200 are killed at work. The human impacts of these incidents are profound.
“Our research shows that in the absence of work-related injuries and illnesses, on average each year Australia’s economy would be $28.6 billion larger and 185,500 additional full-time equivalent jobs would be created.”
Quotes attributable to Safe Work Australia Branch Manager, Meredith Bryant
“The new data website delivers national work health and safety and workers’ compensation data in an intuitive, user-friendly way.
“Users can access our data through a range of dashboards, enabling deeper insights into different WHS topics and issues. We have taken on board the excellent feedback received on the test version of the website, and this has helped to make the data website the exceptional data tool that it is.
“We want our data to be a powerful tool to help users to identify and communicate stories relevant to their workplaces. Together we can use data to protect workers across Australia and prevent further injury and illness from occurring.”
Media contact: media@swa.gov.au