Safe Work Australia Week healthy breakfast for Gold Coast
Posted by editor (editor) on Oct 28 2009
2009 >>

Helping construction industry and young workers to avoid serious health and safety risks will be the focus of a Safe Work Australia Week event to be held on the Gold Coast next week.

Member for Southport Peter Lawlor said a Construction Industry and Young Workers Breakfast hosted by Hutchinson Builders in conjunction with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland will be held at Southport on Friday 30 October.

 “There are serious health risks facing young workers and those working in the construction industry - a study conducted between September 2008 and February 2009 show Queensland tradespeople are the unhealthiest workers in the state,” Mr Lawlor said.

“The study of 1,000 Gold Coast and Brisbane construction workers found they smoked and drank too much and were generally obese.

“I am very concerned about these results, considering that 66 per cent of the construction workers surveyed were deemed overweight or obese compared with the Queensland average of 61 per cent for the general population.”

Mr Lawlor said about 64 per cent were found to drink alcohol at risky or high levels compared to 13 per cent for the general population and 17 per cent had at risk cholesterol levels.

“The workers were also tested to skin cancer. It is very worrying that 22 per cent were advised they needed to get medical attention.

“What this study shows is that while construction workers have a very physical job to do, more people in the industry need to focus on becoming healthier workers and cut back on smoking, unhealthy eating and drinking, better manage sun exposure and increase the amount of exercise they do every week,” he said.
 

Mr Lawlor said every year around 30,000 Queenslanders are seriously injured at work, with about 5,100 of these occurring in young workers aged 15-24.
 

“In 2006/07, about 21.7 per cent of all workers’ compensation claims in Queensland were from young workers aged 15-24 years, even though they made up only 19 per cent of the workforce,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Young workers are an at-risk group not just in Queensland, but world-wide, and the injury rate amongst young workers has been steadily increasing over the past few years, which is a concern to all of us.”
 

Mr Lawlor said inexperience and physical and mental development is a contributing factor to young workers’ chances of injury in the workplace, coupled with the desire for peer acceptance and the reluctance to speak up or ask questions to co-workers or superiors.

“Supervising and mentoring is vital for workers in this age group. Engaging young workers in workplace health and safety is critical to their health and safety now and into the future,” he said.

 Find out how you can get involved in Safe Work Australia Week, visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au or call the Workplace Health and Safety Infoline on 1300 369 915.

Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 1:08 PM