Workplace Safety

NSW workplaces are aiming to be the safest in the country after the Liberal National Government committed to ambitious new targets in a refreshed Work Health and Safety Roadmap.

Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the plan sought to reduce work-related deaths by 30 per cent, as well as injuries and illnesses by 50 per cent within five years.

“This isn’t just about numbers though. This is about people - and we’re doing everything we can to ensure they return home to their families after work each day,” Mr Kean said.

Reducing serious injuries and fatalities in the transport industry is at the heart of a significant new strategy launched by the state Government today.

Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the road freight transport sector was vital for NSW and Australia, contributing an estimated $41.5 billion a year to the economy.

“This industry is a crucial part of our State, not only for the almost 160,000 road freight workers it employs, but also because it keeps NSW moving,” Mr Kean said.

The NSW Government will continue to push for the highest possible safety standards in the workplace, with two key ministers making the pledge ahead of a ceremony to remember people who lost their lives in work-related accidents.

Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations Dominic Perrottet said while there had been a 28 per cent reduction in work-related fatalities in NSW over the past 10 years, this number provided little solace for families who had lost a loved one.