Turning the Tide on Falls from Height: A Safer Future for Australian Workplaces

Falls from height remain one of the most serious safety challenges facing Australian industries today.

According to the latest Safe Work Australia statistics, 24 workers tragically lost their lives in 2024 due to falls from height, making it the second leading cause of workplace fatalities. Alarmingly, 45% of these deaths occurred in the construction industry, where working at height is a daily reality.

What’s more concerning is this: since falls from height began being reported directly in 2018, the annual fatality count has never reached the level seen in 2023; 29 deaths. The next highest was in 2017-18, with 28 fatalities (before falls from height was tracked as a separate category).

Although there has been a slight drop in fatalities in 2024, this 71% increase in 2023 compared to the previous year highlights an urgent need for renewed focus, stronger safety measures, and collective action to prevent further loss of life.

Worker fatalities by most common mechanism of incident - 2024

_{Statistics sourced from SafeWork Australia, 2024. Graph not to scale.}

The human and economic impact

Beyond the tragic loss of life, falls from height have a profound impact on families, businesses, and the broader economy. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that fall-related injuries cost the health system around $5 billion annually.

These incidents also contribute to lost productivity, increased insurance premiums, and long-term disability for affected workers, and workplaces or building owners are often fined large sums of money if the preventable incident occured on their site.

A positive path forward

At Kattsafe, we believe that every fall is preventable. The good news is that Australia is taking steps to reduce these incidents:

Industry-Specific Safety Standards:

New revisions to AS/NZS 1891.4 and AS 5532 ensure that fall-arrest systems and anchor points are safer, more reliable, and better suited to modern work environments.

Training and Competency:

Experts are calling for improved training frameworks to ensure workers are not just certified, but truly competent, when working at height. This includes practical, job-relevant education and regular refreshers.

Technology and Innovation:

From smart PPE to advanced fall detection systems, innovation is helping us rethink how we protect workers at height.

Although these are great steps forward, we still have a way to go in reducing the amount of lives lost due to falls from height annually.

How you can contribute to the cause:

• Ensure there is a well designed and documented height safety & access plan on your building for any maintenance work in areas of risk

• Only consult with experienced height safety professionals who have been fully trained for design, installation and use of height safety systems

• Maintain and inspect height safety equipment on your building regularly

• Never take shortcuts or risk a persons life for the purpose of getting a job done quickly, or cheaply.

How Kattsafe is supporting change

Kattsafe is dedicated to driving a positive change. We work closely with builders, facility managers, and safety professionals to design compliant, customised height safety systems and ensure all installs meet the latest standards.

Our purpose to save lives determines everything we do, and pushes our team to keep increasing the quality of our products and services every day.

We’re here to help businesses take proactive steps toward a safer future.