This report uses the WorkSafe Notified Fatalities Database of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and the WorkCover WA workers’ compensation claims database as primary data sources. Successful workers’ compensation claims are used as a proxy for work-related injuries.

WorkSafe has identified the worst hazards in Western Australia’s workplaces by examining work-related traumatic injury fatalities and workers’ compensation claims with shared mechanisms of injury and breakdown agency of injury. The mechanism of injury identifies the action, exposure or event that resulted in injury or disease. The breakdown agency of injury identifies the object, substance or circumstance that led to the injury or disease.

Examining fatality data and workers’ compensation claims according to shared mechanisms and breakdown agencies of injury helps to identify patterns of activities or tasks being undertaken at the time of the workplace injury or fatality.