title: Missed Opportunities to Prevent Workplace Injuries and Fatalities.
abstract: Prevention efforts, especially in high-income countries, have reduced work-related death and injury. Despite this, the global incidence of workplace fatalities remains unacceptably high with approximately 317 million incidents occurring on the job annually. Of particular concern is the occurrence and re-occurrence of incidents with a similar cause and circumstance, such as fatalities occurring in agriculture and transport industries. Efforts to reduce workplace fatalities include surveillance and reporting, investigation, and regulation. Challenges remain in all three domains, limiting the prevention of work-related injuries and deaths. In this commentary, the nature of these challenges and recommendations on how to overcome them are described. Examples of incidents of workplace injury and death, as well as injury prevention efforts are provided to ensure contextual understanding. Reflecting on the present enhances key stakeholders, policy and decision-makers' understanding of the opportunities to reducing harm and the associated human, and economic and legal costs.
authors.affiliation: 1 Health Law & Ageing Research Unit, Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Marta Helen
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Woolford
authors.affiliation: 1 Health Law & Ageing Research Unit, Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lyndal
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bugeja
authors.affiliation: 2 Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.affiliation: 1 Health Law & Ageing Research Unit, Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Joseph Elias
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000383:Agriculture; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017132:Workplace; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: investigation; occupational injury; prevention; reporting; surveillance