Four south-west lives lost in workplace injuries

WorkSafe chief executive officer Colin Radford said no one in the community was immune to the devastating consequences of a death or injury at work.

Data released by WorkSafe shows two people lost their lives in the Corangamite Shire, one in Moyne and one in Warrnambool in 2021.

In addition to that, there were 210 injury claims made in Warrnambool.

The most incidents in the south-west occurred in manufacturing and construction, while a fall from height or being hit by a falling object were the cause of the highest number of accidents.

"Hundreds of Victorians have just spent their first festive season without a loved one by their side because of a workplace death," Mr Radford said. "Many others are themselves dealing with the pain and suffering from serious and often life-changing injuries suffered at work."

"We need every workplace to take the time to properly assess their health and safety risks and plan how to eliminate or manage them, because failing to do so can lead to tragedy."

There were 43 Victorians who died as a result of a workplace injury in 2021.

Mr Radford said high-risk sectors, including manufacturing, construction and agriculture, would continue to be targeted by WorkSafe inspectors, who made more than 39,000 visits to workplaces across the state in 2021.

"It's simply unacceptable that we are seeing the same industries feature prominently in workplace deaths and serious injuries year after year," he said.

"WorkSafe is committed to working towards a future where no one loses their life at work, including by taking strong enforcement action against those ignoring their health and safety obligations."

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