ABSTRACT

In Australia 23 million working days are lost annually as a result of work-related injury and disease (Industry Commission 1995, p. 17) far exceeding time lost through strikes and other forms of industrial action (Bohle and Quinlan 2000, pp. 6-7). The vast majority of these lost working days are incurred when workers are individually injured, killed or made ill at work. Despite the huge costs to employers, workers and the community of workplace illness and injury, estimated at more than A$31 billion each year (Productivity Commission 2003, p. xxii), these individual workplace injuries, diseases, and deaths receive little media attention. Even though the occupational health and safety (OHS) statutes of the Australian States and Territories require serious workplace incidents, injury, disease, and death to be reported to OHS inspectorates (Clayton, Johnstone, and Sceats 2002, pp. 138-144), the response of governments to these individualized workplace disasters is surprisingly muted.