WHS Enforcement & Penalties in Australia 2026
Safe Work Australia recorded 188 worker deaths from traumatic injury in 2024, a rate of 1.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers. Its latest preliminary claims data records 146,700 serious workers compensation claims in 2023-24.
MapTrack compiled the 24 figures on this page from 8 published sources. Each one is shown with the organisation that published it, the publication year and the source page MapTrack reviewed. Review status and material scope limits are shown with each figure.
Cited data on how work health and safety law is enforced in Australia: worker fatalities, regulator prosecutions and fines, the maximum penalties on the books, and the industrial manslaughter offences now in force across every state and territory, plus the Commonwealth. Every statistic links to its original public source. Click “Cite or embed this stat” on any data point to copy a citation that links back to this page.
24 statistics · Sources reviewed 7 September 2026 · Free to cite with attribution
Key findings at a glance
188
workers died from traumatic injuries in 2024
308
WHS prosecutions recorded nationally in 2025
$12.321M
model Category 1 company maximum from 1 July 2026
Cth + all 8
state and territory regimes have manslaughter offences
146,700
serious claims in preliminary 2023-24 data
$28.6B
historical average annual economic output estimated to be forgone
Fatalities & injuries
The national toll: worker deaths, the fatality rate, serious workers compensation claims, and how people are being killed and injured at work.
188
workers died from traumatic injuries at work in 2024
Safe Work Australia recorded 188 worker traumatic injury fatalities in 2024. This excludes deaths from diseases, natural causes and suicide. The count was slightly below the 2020-2024 average of 191 deaths a year.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#worker-fatalities-2024
1.3
worker fatalities per 100,000 workers
The 2024 worker fatality rate was 1.3 deaths per 100,000 workers. That was 24% below the 2014 rate of 1.7, although Safe Work Australia reports that the rate has remained relatively steady in recent years.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#fatality-rate-2024
146,700
serious workers compensation claims in 2023-24
Safe Work Australia reported 146,700 serious accepted workers compensation claims in preliminary 2023-24 data, equal to 10.9 claims per 1,000 filled jobs covered by compensation schemes. A serious claim involves at least one week of working time lost.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#serious-claims-2023-24
7.4 weeks
median time lost per serious claim
The latest non-preliminary data show a median 7.4 working weeks lost and $16,300 compensation paid per serious claim in 2022-23. Mental health condition claims had a median 35.7 weeks lost and $67,400 paid.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#median-time-lost
42%
of worker deaths had a vehicle incident as the mechanism
Vehicle incidents were the largest mechanism of worker death in 2024, accounting for 79 fatalities (42%). Falls from a height accounted for 24 deaths (13%), and being hit by moving objects for 17 (9%).
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#fatality-mechanism-vehicle
Prosecutions & fines
The latest published national prosecution data, plus clearly scoped enforcement outcomes from Victoria and Queensland.
308
WHS prosecutions recorded nationally in 2025
Safe Work Australia recorded 308 criminal prosecutions for breaches of WHS laws or regulations in 2025, down from a revised 321 in 2024. Of the 2025 prosecutions, 99% resulted in a financial penalty.
Source: Safe Work Australia, WHS prosecutions data (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#national-prosecutions-2025
$147,985
average financial penalty per prosecution in 2025
The average financial penalty per prosecution reached $147,985 in 2025, the highest annual average in Safe Work Australia’s series and 33% above 2024. Case counts and penalties should not be read as a measure of incident frequency.
Source: Safe Work Australia, WHS prosecutions data (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#national-average-penalty-2025
137
Victorian prosecutions and undertakings completed in 2025
WorkSafe Victoria completed 137 prosecutions and enforceable undertakings in 2025. It reported $17,391,325 in fines, costs and undertakings, so that dollar total is broader than court fines alone.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#vic-enforcement-outcomes-2025
91
successful WHS prosecutions finalised in Queensland (2024-25)
The Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor recorded 91 successfully finalised prosecutions in 2024-25, with $6,799,750 in fines. Its series excludes matters under appeal unless the appeal relates only to costs.
Source: Office of the WHS Prosecutor (Qld) (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#qld-prosecutions-2024-25
Penalties by category & state
Indexed 2026 model WHS Act maximums and a jurisdiction-specific example showing why the model amount is not a nationwide penalty schedule.
$12.321M
maximum Category 1 fine for a company (model WHS Act)
The indexed model WHS Act maximum for a Category 1 offence is $12,321,000 for a body corporate and $2,464,000 for an individual PCBU or officer from 1 July 2026. Jurisdictions set their own penalties, which can differ from the model amounts.
Source: Safe Work Australia (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#category-1-body-corporate
$2.47M / $827K
maximum Category 2 and Category 3 company fines
From 1 July 2026, the model WHS Act body-corporate maximum is $2,470,000 for a Category 2 offence and $827,000 for Category 3. These are model amounts rather than a single penalty schedule that applies unchanged nationwide.
Source: Safe Work Australia (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#category-2-3-penalties
$21.274M
model industrial manslaughter company maximum
The model WHS Act recommends a maximum industrial manslaughter penalty of $21,274,000 for a body corporate and 20 years imprisonment for an individual from 1 July 2026. Enacted offences and penalties differ by jurisdiction.
Source: Safe Work Australia (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#model-industrial-manslaughter
$11.607M
NSW Category 1 company maximum in 2026-27
At a penalty-unit value of $128.36, NSW’s 2026-27 Category 1 maximum is $11,606,824 for a body corporate and $2,413,809 for an individual PCBU or officer. The official comparison table is current at 1 August 2026.
Source: Safe Work Australia, jurisdictional comparison (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#nsw-category-1-2026
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Industrial manslaughter
The most serious offence: where it applies, the maximum penalties, and the landmark convictions handed down so far.
Cth + all 8
Australian jurisdictions now have an industrial manslaughter offence
Safe Work Australia’s August 2026 comparison records an industrial or workplace manslaughter offence in the Commonwealth, every state and both territories. The offence wording, available defendants and maximum penalties are not uniform.
Source: Safe Work Australia, jurisdictional comparison (2026)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#im-all-jurisdictions
25 yrs / $20M
maximum NSW industrial manslaughter penalty
NSW’s industrial manslaughter offence commenced on 16 September 2024. It carries a maximum of 25 years imprisonment for an individual or a $20 million fine for a body corporate.
Source: SafeWork NSW (2024)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#im-nsw-penalty
$3M
fine in Australia’s first industrial manslaughter conviction
In 2020 Brisbane Auto Recycling was fined $3 million in Australia’s first industrial manslaughter conviction after a worker was crushed by a reversing forklift. Its two directors were convicted of separate Category 1 offences and received 10-month sentences wholly suspended for 20 months.
Source: Office of the WHS Prosecutor (Qld) (2020)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#im-first-conviction
$3M
appeal fine in Victoria’s first workplace manslaughter case
LH Holding Management became the first company convicted under Victoria’s workplace manslaughter laws in 2024. In April 2025 the Victorian Supreme Court replaced the original $1.3 million fine with a $3 million fine on appeal.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#im-victoria-first
Industry breakdown
Worker-fatality counts and rates for the industries with the highest results in the latest national data.
54
transport, postal and warehousing worker deaths (2024)
Transport, postal and warehousing recorded the highest worker-fatality count in 2024, with 54 deaths (29% of the national total). Its fatality rate was 7.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#transport-fatalities
37
construction worker deaths (2024)
Construction recorded 37 worker fatalities in 2024, 20% of the national total. Its fatality rate was 2.8 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#construction-fatalities
13.7
agriculture fatalities per 100,000 workers (highest rate)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing had the highest industry fatality rate in 2024 at 13.7 deaths per 100,000 workers, with 44 deaths recorded. That rate was more than ten times the all-industry rate of 1.3.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025 (2025)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#agriculture-fatality-rate
Cost to the economy
A historical economic-impact estimate and the concentration of compensation payments among long-duration claims.
$28.6B
average annual economic output estimated to be forgone
Safe Work Australia’s 2022 research estimated that the economy would have been $28.6 billion larger each year on average over 2008-09 to 2018-19 without work-related injuries and illnesses. This is a modelled historical estimate, not a current-year bill.
Source: Safe Work Australia (Deloitte Access Economics) (2022)
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/whs-enforcement-australia-2026#economy-cost-annual
How asset and compliance software helps
Software does not make a workplace safe or prove legal compliance on its own. It can help teams keep asset registers, inspections, pre-start checks, servicing records and corrective actions in one time-stamped trail. That gives operators a clearer record of what was checked, what failed and what happened next. The legal duties and controls that apply still depend on the work, risk and jurisdiction.
Methodology & sources
Every figure on this page is third-party public data, sourced from a named government body or regulator. The national fatality, serious-claim, prosecution and model-penalty figures come from Safe Work Australia. State enforcement outcomes come from WorkSafe Victoria and Queensland’s Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor. Case examples come from those regulators rather than commentary about the decisions.
Each statistic carries its source name, a link to the original, and the publication year. The 2023-24 serious-claims count is preliminary and subject to revision. Compensation medians use the latest non-preliminary year, 2022-23. Model maximum penalties are stated from 1 July 2026, while the jurisdictional comparison is current at 1 August 2026. Model amounts do not automatically apply in every jurisdiction, and this page is general information rather than legal advice.
Core source list (each statistic links to its specific source): Safe Work Australia, Key WHS Statistics 2025; Safe Work Australia, cost of work-related injury; Safe Work Australia, 2026-27 model maximum penalties; Safe Work Australia, jurisdictional comparison; Safe Work Australia, 2025 WHS prosecutions; WorkSafe Victoria, 2025 enforcement outcomes; Office of the WHS Prosecutor (Qld), Annual Report 2024-25.
MapTrack publishes asset tracking and compliance software and has a commercial interest in the adoption of digital compliance tools. We select figures for relevance, preserve their stated scope and link to the official source so readers can check the context. If you find an error or a more recent source, please contact us and we will correct it promptly.
Frequently asked questions
How many workers died at work in Australia in 2024?
Safe Work Australia recorded 188 worker traumatic injury fatalities in 2024, a rate of 1.3 deaths per 100,000 workers. The dataset excludes deaths from diseases, natural causes and suicide. Vehicle incidents were the largest mechanism at 42% of deaths, followed by falls from a height (13%) and being hit by moving objects (9%).
What is the maximum penalty for a WHS breach in Australia?
There is no single nationwide maximum. From 1 July 2026, the model WHS Act amounts are $12,321,000 for a body corporate convicted of a Category 1 offence, $2,470,000 for Category 2 and $827,000 for Category 3. Each jurisdiction enacts and indexes its own laws, so the amount and offence wording can differ. Industrial or workplace manslaughter has separate penalties.
Which Australian states have industrial manslaughter laws?
Safe Work Australia’s August 2026 comparison records an industrial or workplace manslaughter offence at Commonwealth level and in every state and territory. The offences are not identical. For example, NSW’s offence carries a maximum of 25 years imprisonment for an individual or $20 million for a body corporate.
How many WHS prosecutions were recorded in Australia in 2025?
Safe Work Australia recorded 308 criminal prosecutions for breaches of WHS laws or regulations in 2025. Construction accounted for 43% of cases, manufacturing 20%, and mining 6%. Of all prosecutions, 99% resulted in a financial penalty and the average financial penalty was $147,985.
How much does workplace injury cost the Australian economy?
Safe Work Australia research estimated the economy would have been $28.6 billion larger each year on average over 2008-09 to 2018-19 without work-related injuries and illnesses, equal to GDP being around 1.6% higher each year. This is a modelled historical estimate. Claims with more than 13 weeks off work were 21.9% of all accepted claims in 2022-23 but accounted for 74.8% of compensation payments.
Which industries have the most workplace deaths in Australia?
In 2024 transport, postal and warehousing recorded the highest count (54 deaths, or 29%), followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (44, or 23%) and construction (37, or 20%). Agriculture had the highest rate at 13.7 deaths per 100,000 workers. Six industries accounted for 80% of worker traumatic injury fatalities.
How does Victoria differ from the other states on WHS penalties?
Victoria has not adopted the model WHS Act. It regulates workplace safety under its Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and uses a different offence and penalty structure. Safe Work Australia publishes Victoria separately in its cross-jurisdictional penalty comparison, which was current at 1 August 2026.
Are these WHS statistics free to cite?
Yes. Every statistic on this page links to its original public source, mostly Safe Work Australia and the state WHS regulators. Click "Cite or embed this stat" on any data point to copy a plain-text citation, a one-line attribution or an embeddable card that links back to this page. We ask that you keep the attribution.
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