Throughout October, VicForests is embracing National Safe Work Month by committing to continually building a safer and healthier workplace for our valued staff. 

This year’s National Safe Work Month theme is ‘For everyone’s safety, work safely’. 

Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.  Nobody should be injured, harmed or experience mental health issues because of the work they do. 

The primary objective of National Safe Work Month is to encourage all individuals and organisations to prioritise safety in their workplaces and work towards reducing the number of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.  

Safe Work Australia data shows that each year up to 200 workers are fatally injured at work and around 120,000 workers are compensated for a serious work-related injury or illness. 

VicForests Senior Manager Safety, Risk and Compliance Luke Mirowski said VicForests is committed to the health, safety, and wellbeing of all its employees and contractors, and has always aimed for zero harm.  

“VicForests’ near miss reporting surpasses industry standards, and our contractor reporting is considered the best in Australia," Dr Mirowski said. 

"To ensure every single member of our workforce is safe, VicForests has implemented various measures, including mandatory annual occupational health and safety refresher training to ensure everyone is fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. 

“We prioritise safety in all our performance plans, to encourage participation in designated working groups and mental health consultations. Reporting all hazards and incidents is a must. 

"As part of National Safe Work Month, on 11 October, VicForests participated in a joint safety initiative with our partner agencies. The purpose was to raise awareness of safety and mental health, normalise conversations in this area, and to share experiences and lessons to support each other to grow in this space." 

This year’s National Safe Work Month has a different focus on health and safety each week: 

• Week 1 (1-8 October) – Manage risks at work together 

• Week 2 (9-15 October) – Protect workers’ mental health together 

• Week 3 (16-22 October) – Support all workers together 

• Week 4 (23-31 October) – Ensure a safe and healthy workplace together. 

For everyone’s safety, work safely. #SafeWorkMonth