❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks data on work-related fatalities since 2002 to verify a statistic about workplace deaths. The answer refers to publicly available reports and processes for investigation and prosecution, without providing the specific numbers requested.
AnsweredQoN 1502Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) From 1 January 2002 onwards, how many workers have died whilst engaged in work-related activities such that the claim of an average of one worker being killed on the job in Western Australia every 17 days is shown to be accurate?
(2) What summarised groupings of the details and circumstances for each of these deaths can be provided, such as: which industries were they employed in; how many workers died while travelling to, from or between jobs; at what time of day or night did the fatal accidents occur; on what day of the week or weekend did the accidents occur; what general type of activity was the worker involved in at the time of the fatal accident; what was the length of shift for each worker at the time of the fatal accident (if applicable); what were the ages and genders of the workers; how long had each worker been employed in the type of work at which they were employed at the time of the accident; where the causes and circumstances of the fatal accidents have been determined and what apportionment of responsibility for each accident has been allocated to the individual worker and/or to the employer?
(2) What summarised groupings of the details and circumstances for each of these deaths can be provided, such as: which industries were they employed in; how many workers died while travelling to, from or between jobs; at what time of day or night did the fatal accidents occur; on what day of the week or weekend did the accidents occur; what general type of activity was the worker involved in at the time of the fatal accident; what was the length of shift for each worker at the time of the fatal accident (if applicable); what were the ages and genders of the workers; how long had each worker been employed in the type of work at which they were employed at the time of the accident; where the causes and circumstances of the fatal accidents have been determined and what apportionment of responsibility for each accident has been allocated to the individual worker and/or to the employer?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
10 June 2003
Responded by
Minister for Consumer and Employment Protection
Response time
28 days
2. WorkSafe publishes comprehensive data on traumatic work related fatalities as part of its “State of the Work Environment” series of publications. The most recent report was electronically published in August 2002 and provides aggregated details of traumatic work-related fatalities that occurred between 1 July 1988 and 30 June 2002. The report is available on-line at www.safetyline.wa.gov.au. WorkSafe also publishes an information paper on its website that provides information on the recording of traumatic work related fatalities and the limitations of the data. In addition, a summary of each fatality is recorded in the Department’s annual report and in most instances, a Significant Incident Summary is issued following a fatality. With respect to work-related fatalities investigated by WorkSafe, a report is provided to the State Coroner who determines whether an inquest will be held. The fatality investigation report is also used to determine whether the circumstances of the event warrant further enforcement action, which may include prosecution. Again, WorkSafe has a published Prosecution Policy which explains issues taken into account when determining whether there is a basis for initiating a prosecution. Most fatal incidents involve a range of factors which are not easily attributable to a particular party.
With respect to work-related fatalities investigated by WorkSafe, a report is provided to the State Coroner who determines whether an inquest will be held. The fatality investigation report is also used to determine whether the circumstances of the event warrant further enforcement action, which may include prosecution. Again, WorkSafe has a published Prosecution Policy which explains issues taken into account when determining whether there is a basis for initiating a prosecution. Most fatal incidents involve a range of factors which are not easily attributable to a particular party.
Most fatal incidents involve a range of factors which are not easily attributable to a particular party.
With respect to work-related fatalities investigated by WorkSafe, a report is provided to the State Coroner who determines whether an inquest will be held. The fatality investigation report is also used to determine whether the circumstances of the event warrant further enforcement action, which may include prosecution. Again, WorkSafe has a published Prosecution Policy which explains issues taken into account when determining whether there is a basis for initiating a prosecution. Most fatal incidents involve a range of factors which are not easily attributable to a particular party.
Most fatal incidents involve a range of factors which are not easily attributable to a particular party.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.