Australian workers are returning to safer work environments this year, according to new work-related fatality data, but the nation’s peak workplace health and safety body warns this is no time to be complacent.
Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) is urging employers and industry leaders to keep workplace safety front and centre with every workplace death one too many.
According to Safe Work Australia, 167 workplace-related fatalities were recorded in 2025, down from 188 in 2024. Several traditionally high-risk industries saw improvements including Transport, Postal and Warehousing, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Construction, and Manufacturing.
AIHS Chair Celia Antonovsky said the reduction demonstrates investment in safety leadership, training and worker representation is making a difference, but stresses complacency cannot set in.
“Every Australian has the right to go to work and come home safely. While it’s encouraging to see the number of fatalities decrease, even one death is unacceptable,” Ms Antonovsky said.
“It is why we must use these figures as a call to action, not a reason to relax.”
Ms Antonovsky said workplaces must continue investing in people on the ground through trained Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs), who play a critical role in identifying risks early.
“HSRs are one of the single most powerful tools we have to prevent workplace harm,” Ms Antonovsky said.
“They give workers a trusted voice to raise concerns early, help ensure hazards are addressed, and turn safety policies into real action before incidents turn into tragedies.”
“When HSRs are trained and supported, workplaces are safer for everyone,” she said.
To support continued fatality reduction, AIHS provides a range of online learning, training and professional development programs designed to strengthen safety capability across all industries.
For more information, visit www.aihs.org.au
