By VANESSA VALENZUELA
BRIMBANK workplaces have recorded their safest year on record, with a decline in WorkSafe claims in the municipality over the past three years.
WorkSafe claims in Brimbank fell from 702 in 2010 to 673 in 2011 and reached a record low of 634 last year.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman told Star almost 40 per cent of all injuries that occurred in the Brimbank area last year came from the construction, manufacturing and transport industries.
“More than half of the injuries reported in Brimbank were musculoskeletal injuries which include sprains and strains, fractures, back injuries and dislocations, most commonly caused by dangerous manual handling and slips, trips and falls,” she said.
Unfortunately, Melton workers seem to be bucking the trend towards safer workplaces, recording an increase of WorkSafe claims over the past three years.
Claims rose from 139 in 2010 to 149 last year, a rise of more than 7 per cent.
Across the state WorkSafe claims have fallen steadily over the past three years from 29,244 claims in 2010 to 28,641 in 2011 and 28,305 last year.
Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said Victoria’s workplaces had the safest year on record in 2012 and believes the significant achievement kept up the state’s track record of leading Australia in terms of workplace safety.
“In 2012 national data confirmed Victoria’s position as having the safest workplaces of any state or territory in Australia, and that’s a credit to employers, workers and the efforts of the WorkSafe team,” he said.
Mr Rich-Phillips said deaths in Victorian workplaces had almost halved over the past decade.
The number of people who died in Victorian workplaces fell to 18 last year, down from 25 in 2011.
“However, it is clear that more can be done, as many of the fatalities and injuries resulted from known hazards, with known safety solutions,” he said.
“The impact of a workplace death is also enormous on colleagues and employers, which is why we ask everyone returning to work to make safety their number one priority this year.”
