WORLD Day for Safety and Health at Work is an international campaign on 28 April 2008 which aims to promote health and safety at work.
A number of global events will be taking place, among which four will be in Australia.
There is the Safety in Action conference, the Safety in Action trade show, Melbourne Materials Handling, and the inaugural Australian Carbon Trading Expo.
The Safety Institute of Australia’s Victoria’s Division is taking the opportunity to call for recognition of the “hidden” workplace death toll, claiming official workplace fatality statistics are just the tip of the iceberg.
This is because many diseases contracted at work can take decades to develop, and their connection with the work can be difficult to prove.
The Institute cited a case where a worker was killed by a cancer related to his work. He and his family had to fight disbelief as well as the disease. The worker joined a class action which resulted in a small payout for healthcare, but his family claims what was really needed was for someone to take responsibility.
According to the Institute, around 140,000 Australian workers each year are injured to such a degree at work that they have to take at least a week off.
Sponsored by WorkSafe Victoria and hosted by the Safety Institute of Australia (Victoria Division), the Safety in Action Conference will be held from 29 April to 1 May 2008 at the Melbourne Convention Centre, while the concurrently held Safety In Action trade show will be at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

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