In October each year, Safe Work Australia promotes National Safe Work Month. This initiative asks workers and employers across Australia to commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.
The theme for National Safe Work Month this year is think safe. work safe. be safe. While we at Lucidity Software live and breathe Health and Safety at work every day, we endorse this initiative as a way of reinforcing the importance of proactive HSEQ practices.
This year's theme was selected to highlight the importance of all aspects of workplace health and safety risk management. However, this year more than ever it is important to highlight the theme of be safe. where we reinforce the focus on mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
According to Safe Work Australia, each year approximately 7,200 Australians are compensated for work-related mental health conditions which has cost approximately $543 million paid out in workers’ compensation. These numbers are projected to increase due to the effects of COVID lockdowns, mandatory vaccines, border openings and returning to work.
An Allianz report shows the number of active psychological claims has jumped by 5% for the last financial year, and compared to physical injuries, the average cost of psychological damage is 3.5 times higher.
Think Safe. Work Safe. Be Safe.
be safe.
The be safe. initiative considers the ongoing process of managing and monitoring work health and safety risks – it is not a one off.
This year, more than ever before, we want to encourage people to simply be safe. Whether it's your physical or mental well-being, it's important to spend time looking after yourself and your employees.
The ongoing effects of COVID-19 have been felt by everybody worldwide but especially now in Australia and New Zealand as restrictions are easing. We believe an essential element of being safe is to not only look after your physical health but also to focus on mental health to avoid burnout.
Over the next couple of weeks, coming out of lockdown, mandatory vaccines (for some industries), border openings and overall return to normal will look different for every business and every industry and will have a different impact on each employee.
Please be safe. by looking after yourself, your workplace and your colleagues and look beyond physical health and safety risk.
