There have been $164.22 million in financial penalties issued for 1373 WHS prosecutions from 2020 to 2024, according to Safe Work Australia data.
The average WHS penalty over the same period was $122,920, and 82 per cent of those facing prosecution pleaded guilty.
Safe Work Australia’s recently updated interactive data website indicated there were 317 prosecutions recorded alone in 2024, reflecting a continued yearly increase.
The top three industries involved in WHS prosecution cases last year were: construction (47 per cent); manufacturing (21 per cent), and transport, postal and warehousing (5 per cent).
The data indicated that 16 per cent of prosecution cases involved a fatal injury and 49 per cent involved a serious injury.
From 2019-2023, the most common causes of death included vehicle incidents (80), being hit by moving objects (23), falls from height (22), being hit by falling objects (16) and being trapped by moving machinery or equipment (10).
A further 97 per cent of prosecutions cases resulted in a financial penalty and the average financial penalty per case decreased since 2023, averaging $116,979 from 2019-2023 compared to $138,724 in 2023.
The prosecutions dashboard provides national information on criminal prosecutions for breaching WHS laws or regulations since 1 January 2020.
Developed in response to the 2018 Senate inquiry report They never came home – the framework surrounding the prevention, investigation and prosecution of industrial deaths in Australia, Safe Work Australia said the prosecutions data can help inform decision-making to improve WHS outcomes.
There have been 66 people killed at work this year in Australia (as of 24 July 2025), while there were 168 workplace fatalities in 2024. On average, 191 workers were killed each year in Australia over the past five years.
Source: AIHS
