Executive Director's update

Over recent months you will have seen Workplace Health and Safety Queensland's (WHSQ) new message, the most important reason for making your workplace safe, is not at work at all.

This is the simple yet powerful message recently broadcast on radio, television and in newspapers across the state, as part of our Homecomings campaign.

The campaign was launched in May and seeks to change attitudes by taking the issue of work-related fatalities and injuries beyond the workplace to make them a community issue.

Homecomings is designed to get people to stop and think about the impact that workplace injuries can have, not only on the injured person, but on their families and their loved ones.

That impact is high. In 2006-07 in Queensland, there were 114 work-related fatalities and nearly 30 000 serious injuries where workers needed five or more days off work.

That’s why we’re targeting a 20 per cent reduction in fatalities and a 40 per cent reduction in injuries by 2012. That can only be achieved by changing the community’s attitudes and behaviour towards workplace health and safety, and that means more education.

WHSQ is pursuing education more vigorously than ever before, and Homecomings is an integral part of that. We are also working more closely with industry to achieve our 2012 targets.

We also have our industry action plans as another cornerstone of our strategy. They emphasise safety education and awareness at the workplace.

More education does not mean that we are neglecting enforcement. We are balancing education with ongoing and strong compliance enforcement, because good workplace health and safety laws need to be thoroughly enforced.

In the future, we’ll be looking for more successful campaigns like this one to ensure the message of working safe and getting home safe remains a priority for Queenslanders.

The Homecomings advertisements will run again on television, radio and newspapers in Queensland from October, but in the meantime we need your help to spread the word about workplace health and safety.

Table of contents | Homecomings puts safety under the spotlight