Record amounts of funding will be invested into improving workplace safety and well-being in New South Wales, as part of the 2020-21 NSW Budget.
Better Regulation and Innovation Minister Kevin Anderson said SafeWork NSW’s annual budget of about $162 million includes funds for a record more than 330 inspectors who will work with businesses to reduce serious injuries and deaths in NSW workplaces.
“SafeWork has been proactive in supporting worker safety reducing serious injuries rates by more than 30 per cent and workplaces deaths by 25 per cent since 2012,” Anderson said.
“We’ve already come a long way in reducing workplace risks in high-risk industries and the recent recruitment of 37 new inspectors will continue boost safety in businesses.”
Funding will continue for the Centre for Work Health and Safety (WHS), which researches new methods to improve awareness and mitigation of workplace health and safety risks.
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“The Centre for WHS enables us to use cutting edge data and research, turning knowledge into action by implementing smarter approaches to make our workplaces safer,” Anderson said.
“The Centre has a huge pipeline of innovative projects that will ultimately lead to better policy making and safer environments for our workers.
“Our focus is to work with businesses proactively to identify workplace risks early and stamp out unsafe practices before an accident happens. Every time an improvement notice is issued, and an unsafe practice is rectified, our workplaces and our workers become safer,” he said.
SafeWork’s inspectors have concluded more than 21,000 workplace field interactions, issued 7,084 improvements notices, 1,816 prohibition notices and 386 penalties.