10 most dangerous jobs in Australia

Each year, there are hundreds of fatal workplace injuries in Australia. In 2024, 76% of all work related fatalities and 61% of serious workers' compensation claims occurred in just 7 industries:

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing
• Public administration and safety
• Transport, postal and warehousing
• Manufacturing
• Health care and social assistance, and
• Construction

Of course, there are other industries that pose a risk to everyday Aussies, even ones that may seem perfectly safe.

10 most dangerous jobs in Australia

Road and rail drivers accounted for the most workplace deaths in 2020. However, their job isn't considered the riskiest. That's because farm, forestry and garden workers have a higher risk of workplace death and injury per 100,000 workers.

Rank	Industry	Average no of fatalities per year	Fatality rate per 100,000
1	Transport, postal and warehousing	53	7.5
2	Agriculture, forestry and fishing	38	10.9
3	Construction	30	2.8
4	Manufacturing	14	1.3
5	Public administration and safety	10	1.2
6	Mining	7	3.6
7	Other services	4	1.0
8	Electricity, gas, water and waste services	4	2.4
9	Wholesale trade	4	0.8
10	Administrative and support services	5	1.4
11	Arts and recreation services	4	1.6
12	Accommodation and food services	3	0.2
13	Education and training	2	0.6
14	Retail trade	2	0.4
15	Health care and social assistance	2	0.2
16	Professional, scientific and technical services	1	0.2
17	Rental, hiring and real estate services	1	0.1
18	Information media and telecommunications	1	0.4
19	Financial and insurance services	0	0.0

Deaths by occupation in Australia

Machine and operator drivers accounted for 73 workplace deaths in 2023, and 60 of those were road or rail drivers. They accounted, by far, for the most workplace deaths in Australia.

Occupation	Number of fatalities in 2023	Number of fatalities (5-year average)
Machinery and operator drivers	73	72
Road and rail drivers	60	57
Mobile plant operators	7	8
Machine and stationary plant operators	6	7
Labourers	53	39
Farm, forestry and garden workers	9	9
Other labourers	23	17
Construction and mining labourers	19	10
Technicians and trades workers	27	27
Construction trades workers	6	6
Electrotechnology and telecommunications trade workers	8	6
Automotive and engineering trades workers	8	7
Community and personal service workers	16	13
Protective service workers, health and welfare and personal fitness trainers	16	13
Managers	15	26
Farmers, and farm managers	11	21
Professionals	11	10
Design, engineering, science and transport, and arts professionals	11	9
Clerical and administrative workers	2	1
Sales workers	2	1

^{Source: Safe Work Australia
The averages shown in this table have been rounded to the nearest whole number; therefore the sum of the figures for the 5yr average column may not equal the total average.}

Who is most likely to be injured at work?

Men or women?

Men are far more likely to be injured at work compared to women. In 2023, 95% of fatalities were men. That means men accounted for 189 of the 200 deaths.

In 2023, the fatality rate for men was 2.6 in every 100,000 male workers, slightly up from 2.5 in 2023. In comparison, the fatality rate for women was 0.1 in 2023, down from 0.2 in 2023.

Old or young?

Middle aged workers accounted for most deaths in 2023, with people aged 55 to 64 suffering the highest number of fatalities, followed by those aged 45 to 54.

The table below shows the number of deaths between 2019 and 2023, distributed by age group.

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Under 25	15	9	16	17	27
25-34	26	31	24	29	29
35-44	36	33	26	29	35
45-54	33	35	33	35	38
55-64	49	55	43	44	40
65+	32	33	30	41	27

What's causing workplace injuries?

The most likely cause of workplace deaths in Australia is some kind of vehicle collision. In fact, vehicle collisions were blamed for 46.5% of all workplace fatalities in 2023

The table below shows the average number of fatalities caused annually by specific incidents between 2019 and 2023. It also shows the percentage of fatalities caused by that type of accident.

	Average number of fatalities	Percentage of fatalities
Vehicle collision	398	42%
Being hit by moving objects	113	33%
Falls from a height	109	11.4%
Being hit by falling objects	82	9%
Being trapped between stationary and moving objects	46	5%
Being trapped by moving machinery	51	5%
Contact with electricity	39	4%
Drowning	15	3%
Rollover of non-road vehicle	6	3%
Contact with hot objects	8	1%
Slide or cave-in	6	1%
Being hit by an animal	7	1%
Other		4%

Which state is most dangerous for workers?

The Northern Territory has the highest rate of workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, while NSW has the most deaths overall.

The table below shows the average number of workplace fatalities per year as well as the average rate of death per 100,000 workers. It relies on Safe Work data from 2019 to 2023.

	Average number of workplace fatalities	Average rate of death
NSW	55	1.3
QLD	44	1.8
VIC	37	1.0
WA	27	1.9
SA	15	1.6
NT	5	3.6
TAS	5	1.8
ACT	1	0.4

Does workers compensation help with workplace fatalities?

Yes. If you die as a result of a work-related incident/accident, workers compensation insurance will pay a lump sum to your family. The set amount varies between different states. In NSW, the current lump-sum benefit is $938,600.

Workers compensation will also pay a benefit for funeral expenses as well as other costs such as travel and accommodation for family members who want to attend the service.

If you suffer an injury while you're at work, workers compensation insurance will cover lost wages as well as any medical expenses and rehabilitation costs.

However, workers compensation is typically capped at 130 weeks unless you're totally incapacitated. Self-employed workers also tend to be excluded from workers compensation.

These are just some of the reasons why many Aussies choose to take out income protection insurance or life insurance in addition to the workers compensation cover they receive through their employer.

Can insurance help with workplace fatalities?

Yes. Life insurance can help make sure your family is looked after if you die in a workplace accident. It can also help if you suffer an injury and are unable to work for a while or ever again.

There are a few different kinds of insurance that can help people in risky jobs or anyone who wants to make sure their family will be financially sound.

Other key findings

Here are some other key findings from the Safe Work Australia over the five year period between 2019 to 2023:

• The highest number of fatalities occurred in people aged 55 to 64. There were 231 fatalities between 2019 and 2023. However, the fatality rate in people 65 and over was higher – 5.1 per 100,000 workers.
• New South Wales had the highest number of fatalities (274 compared to 199 for Victoria) but the Northern Territory had a higher fatality rate – 3.6 per 100,000 workers.
• Vehicle incidents were the main cause of fatal injuries in the Australian workplace in 2023, accounting for 94 fatalities and 42% of deaths.
• Machinery operators and drivers had the highest number of fatalities in 2023 (73), followed by labourers (53), then technicians and trade workers (27), and community and personal service workers (16).
• The country wide fatality rate was at the highest in 2020 at 1.5. It has returned closer to this rate at 1.4 in 2023 after a slight dip in 2021.
• There were a total of 953 work-related injury fatalities over the five year period, 906 were men and 47 were women.