The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are 250 million accidents and 160 million work-related diseases per annum globally. More than 1.2 million workers die every year due to work related accidents or diseases. In addition to the tremendous human and social effects that those accidents and illnesses represent on the injured workers and their families, there is also a significant economic toll associated with such accidents and diseases. At the domestic level, there were 297 compensable fatalities in Australia in 2001-2002. This is the equivalent of a fatality for every week day. It is in t his context that the debate about the effectiveness of regulation of safety standards should be understood.
The purpose of this book is to challenge some of the thinking around the approach to occupational health and safety. It proposes a reconsideration of safety risks in an integrated matrix that includes security and environmental risks. This approach recognises the common grounding in risk management that underlies the methodology of practice in safety, security, health and environment areas and the similarity in legislative treatment by all jurisdictions in Australia. It then outlines the general duties, personal liability and explores a framework for safety security health and environmental management. |