National Safe Work Month, held annually in October, encourages all individuals and organisations to prioritise work health and safety (WHS) and take preventative action to reduce the number of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities. 

The campaign aims to promote a positive safety culture and to emphasise the importance of good WHS practices.

Each National Safe Work Month revolves around an annual safety-related theme and each week is dedicated to a particular WHS topic.

National Safe Work Month is important because our latest data shows that in 2022, 195 workers in Australia were fatally injured at work and 127,800 serious workers’ compensation claims were made. 

No job should be unsafe and no death or injury is acceptable. National Safe Work Month provides a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of WHS and highlight the collective benefit safe and healthy work has to individuals, organisations and the wider community.

Safety is everyone’s business 

This theme encapsulates a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right across all industries and occupations, while reinforcing the business benefit that comes from committing to safer workplaces. The theme emphasises the positive outcomes of good WHS risk management, highlighting individual, organisational and wider community benefit.

Let's keep workers safe and healthy by ensuring WHS is core to how we do business in Australia.

Each week of National Safe Work Month revolves around a different WHS topic. This year the weekly topics are: 

• Week 1: Work health and safety fundamentals 
• Week 2: Psychosocial hazards
• Week 3: Risk management fundamentals
• Week 4: Musculoskeletal injuries

Read more about each week on our weekly topics page.

We’re glad you asked! Check out the get involved web page for information on how to get involved.

Safe Work Australia is an national policy body representing the interests of the Commonwealth, states and territories, as well as workers and employers. We develop national policy to improve WHS and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia.

As a national policy body, we don’t regulate WHS laws or administer workers’ compensation arrangements. The Commonwealth, states and territories regulate and enforce WHS laws and administer workers’ compensation schemes in their jurisdictions.

Learn more about Safe Work Australia on our About us page.

Interested in past themes? Checkout our National Safe Work Month theme archive to see the themes from previous years.