More than 150 young trade workers killed on sites in last decade, those who speak out labelled 'weak-minded'   
October 15 2023
ABC News

Between 2013 and 2022, 163 workers under the age of 25 died from a work-related traumatic injury.(ABC News:)

Sixteen young trade employees are dying at work per year in Australia, data has revealed, as safety concerns mount following the death of a teenage apprentice in Brisbane two weeks ago.

Key points:
Between 2013 and 2022, 163 workers under the age of 25 died from a work-related traumatic injury
Data from Safe Work Australia showed young workers were dying at sites at a rate of more than one per month
Men made up almost 90 per cent of all the deaths, and a vehicle incident was the primary cause of death
Tyler Whitton, 17, died after he fell 4 metres at a West End site, in what was a horror fortnight on Queensland worksites.

In early October, a 55-year-old man died after a bulldozer rolled at a South Burnett construction site, while a surveyor died at Victoria Point in late September.

Data shows there has also been a significant uptick in injuries among young workers.

Between 2013 and 2022, 163 workers under the age of 25 died from a work-related traumatic injury.

Carpenter Mitch Opperman said apprentices often get used as cheap labour, which leads to injuries.

"Generally, as an apprentice you get pushed and move fast. You're doing the labour work," he said.

"The mentality around it is if you're whingeing then you're not going to make it or you're weak-minded."

The now 32-year-old Capalaba resident said he saw two incidents where apprentices were injured when he was in his early twenties that caused him to evaluate his working arrangements.


Men made up almost 90 per cent of all the deaths, and a vehicle incident was the primary cause of death.
While working eight storeys up on a high-rise in Brisbane in 2013, a colleague had a piece of glass drop onto his shin, severing tendons and forcing him to have six months off work.

A year later, while working on a residential building, he was told to stand on two planks of wood suspended between two small ladders with four other apprentices.

"I told them, 'stuff that' and the planks ended up snapping in half while they were holding a whole sheet of glass and wood above them, and they fell in a pile on the floor and the sheet fell on them."

The group sustained only minor injuries, but Mr Opperman said he refuses to work on residential work sites anymore because of safety concerns.



More than one young worker killed per month on worksites
Data from Safe Work Australia showed young workers were dying at sites at a rate of more than one per month.   

Of the 163 deaths of young workers, the majority occurred in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry (24 per cent), the construction industry (24 per cent) and the transport, postal and warehousing industry (17 per cent).


Men made up almost 90 per cent of all the deaths, and a vehicle incident was the primary cause of death.

However, under 25s was the age group with the lowest number of fatalities, with 55 to 64-year-olds recording the greatest number of deaths (437) over the same period.

Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) National Secretary Zach Smith said more needs to be done to protect workers.

"Each one of those deaths is preventable," Mr Smith said.

"Each one of those deaths should not have occurred and it's a failure that we have any fatalities occurring in the building construction industry.

"It's clear that there's still quite a number of developers that put profit over the safety of their workers, that put the need to finish the job on time or under budget ahead of doing the job safely."

Industries still safe for apprentices
Craig Dearling, general manager of workforce services at Master Builders Queensland, said young people should still feel safe and confident in starting a trade apprenticeship.

"Every injury — and I'm not just talking death or serious injury — is a tragedy, and I know that builders and subcontractors invest a lot of time and money into safety," Mr Dearling said.

"We've got some very strict regulations in Queensland, and I don't see any need at the present time for us to introduce any new safety measures.

"I would hate to think that young people would read about tragedies like this and think, 'I don't want to take up a career', because it's a very rewarding and worthwhile career."

Mr Smith said employers should be providing a safe space for young workers to earn money.

"Let's make sure that rogue employers are held to account, let's make sure that safety regulators are doing the job of keeping workers safe.

"The response shouldn't be this industry is just out of bounds for young workers."