How dangerous do you think your job is?
Regardless of what your occupation is, every job comes with risk. Whether you’re a construction worker, miner, or even an office worker, occupational health and safety needs to be adhered to in the workplace to try and reduce the number of workplace accidents and fatalities.
Safe Work Australia and finder.com.au have compiled the most recent figures on Australia’s most dangerous jobs, and the results might surprise you!
The figures compiled by finder.com.au take into account the total number of injuries and deaths in each industry, as well as the total number of people who are employed in each sector. Serious injuries are defined as any workplace injury that results in a week or more of leave.
Based on these findings, agriculture, forestry and fishing are rated as Australia’s most dangerous jobs, with a total of 43 deaths and 3,365 injuries out of a relatively small amount of employees; 313,000.
Surprisingly, even relatively low risk jobs like administrative and support services made the top ten, with four fatalities and 4,525 serious injuries reported in 2014. This highlights the importance of adhering to safety practices in every workplace, regardless of how safe a job may seem.
*Figures recorded represent the period of 2013-14
| Industry | Number of workers | Number of serious injuries | Number of fatalities |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 313,000 | 3,365 | 43 |
| Transport, Warehousing and Storage | 590,000 | 9,425 | 46 |
| Construction | 1.026 million | 11,535 | 31 |
| Manufacturing | 930,000 | 12,930 | 15 |
| Mining | 269,000 | 2,670 | 10 |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 202,000 | 1,865 | 10 |
| Wholesale Trade | 393,000 | 4,380 | 6 |
| Health and Community Services | 1.394 million | 17,415 | 2 |
| Public Administrationand Safety | 750,000 | 8,775 | 6 |
| Administrative and Support Services | 386,000 | 4,525 | 4 |
Not included in these figures, but also worth noting, are tree lopping jobs, as well as pilots, and of course, firefighters and police.
According the Australian Bureau of Statistics, at least one officer dies in the police force each year, with most workers being exposed to disease, abuse, injury, assault, and even death on a daily basis.
Firefighters are also exposed to a lot of risk on a daily basis, with 44 per cent of firefighters dying from heart attacks due to extreme heat conditions and smoke inhalation, while 27 per cent of deaths are attributed to trauma, 20-25 per cent are from crashes, and burns and asphyxiation attribute to the remaining 20 per cent.
Compared to previous years, the number of work related injuries and deaths are slowly declining, which can be attributed to greater safety measures being implemented in and around the workplace.
SafetyQuip is your one-stop shop for safety equipment in Australia, as well as personal protective equipment. Visit one of our franchises that are located across the country, or check out our online store. With the right safety equipment, and the proper safety procedures, you’ll be on track to creating a safer work environment for all of your employees.
Safety Gear - Workwear - Footwear - Site Safety
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