26 South Australians lost their lives at work during the 2024-25 financial year. This tragic figure is the highest ever on record, underscoring an urgent and unacceptable failure in workplace safety that demands immediate and enhanced preventative measures across all industries.
Dale Beasley, SA Unions Secretary, emphasised the critical importance of a proactive approach to safety. “Twenty-six families are now mourning loved ones who lost their lives in SA workplaces,” Mr Beasley stated. “Even one worker’s death is a tragedy; this many lives lost is a loud and clear message: so much more work needs to be done.”
Mr Beasley commended the South Australian Government for introducing nation-leading workplace safety reforms and for committing to overhauling the safety regulator, SafeWork SA. However, he stressed that more must be done. “Health and safety isn’t merely about laws, policies, or satisfying compliance checklists,” he explained. “True safety is a culture born of genuine consultation with workers who feel confident that they can speak up.”
Mr Beasley lamented the impact of insecure work on workplace safety. “Secure jobs save lives. You’re not going to speak up about unsafe work if you’re scared of getting sacked. All the laws and regulations on the books mean nothing if you’re too vulnerable to use them.”
“SafeWork SA Inspectors can’t be everywhere, even if SafeWork SA reaches their goal of 90 inspectors, there would still be just one inspector for every 10,000 employed people.” This is one of the many reasons why SA Unions particularly champions the vital role of elected Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) in creating safer workplaces. Workplaces with trained HSRs consistently demonstrate significantly lower rates of incidents and injuries.
“HSRs are on the ground, working to identify danger and implement steps to control it,” Mr Beasley said. “Their presence is a powerful preventative measure that saves lives.” He called for HSRs to be given stronger powers and protection from retribution. “HSRs are regular workers, elected and trained to keep their workmates safe. They deserve protection and support, not roadblocks and retribution.”
SA Unions have long advocated for greater empowerment and protection of HSRs, and is now also calling for greater investment to recruit and train more HSRs, and to better support them in performing their roles.