National Safe Work Month
03 October 2022
October is National Safe Work Month and Mental Health Month.
This year the theme for National Safe Work Month is Know safety, work safely.
Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone. This is why, during October each year, Safe Work Australia asks businesses, employers and workers across Australia to join National Safe Work Month and commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.
At Horner, your health, safety and wellbeing is of utmost importance. We are proud to support National Safe Work Month and have a strong commitment and focus on health, safety and wellbeing not just this month but every month!
Each week in October, National Safe Work Month focuses on a different weekly theme to support the overarching theme – Know safety, work safely.
Week 1 – Injuries at work
Everyone has the right to be safe at work. This week focuses on common health and safety risks and how to control these risks to keep workers safe – whether it is from slips, trips and falls, lifting, pushing and pulling (manual tasks), or moving objects
Week 2 – Mental health
Mental (psychological) health, just like physical health, is an important part of work health and safety. Work-related psychological injuries (mental illness) have a significant impact on workers, their families and business. These injuries may result in longer time away from work and cost more than other injuries. During this week, which also incorporates World Mental Health Day, we include information on how to identify psychosocial hazards and manage psychosocial risk, highlighting practical steps to control some common hazards.
Week 3 – Managing WHS risks & preventing harm
Managing WHS risks involves thinking about what could happen if someone is exposed to a hazard and how likely it is to happen. You should always aim to eliminate risks. If you can’t, you must minimise risks. During this week, we look at ways to manage WHS risks and prevent injuries and disease, including how and when to consult with workers on health and safety.
Week 4 – Safe and healthy work for all
Australia is a world leader in WHS. Unfortunately, workers and others continue to be injured at and by work, sometimes fatally. To make further gains, we need to ensure that WHS is core to how we do business in Australia. This week we look at the future of work, changing patterns and ways of working including the rise of automation, changes to work organisation and the emergence of new forms of work that will create both opportunities and complexities for Australia’s WHS system.
Source: Safe Work Australia