Construction has emerged as Victoria’s most fined industry, as WorkSafe enforcement outcomes for 2025 delivered a total of $17,391,325 in fines, costs and undertakings under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Dangerous Goods Act.
The figure includes a record $3 million workplace manslaughter fine upheld on appeal, three other seven-figure penalties and 29 outcomes exceeding $100,000.
“Construction remains Victoria’s deadliest industry,” WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said the enforcement focus reflected where the greatest harm continues to occur.
“Construction remains Victoria’s deadliest industry with 69 fatalities in the last five years, largely due to preventable falls from height,” Mr Jenkin added.
“By keeping a close eye on these industries, we’re able to identify both known and emerging risks and take strong enforcement action, even in cases where an incident has not yet occurred.”
Construction dominates prosecutions
Of all health and safety prosecutions in 2025, the largest share involved construction employers, with 64 successful outcomes.
Manufacturing followed with 30, while transport, postal and warehousing recorded eight. Offences involving working at height were the most common, with 52 employers — almost exclusively from construction — fined a combined $3.74 million.
Breaches involving mobile plant such as forklifts and cranes accounted for 26 outcomes, followed by unguarded machinery with 17.
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In total, WorkSafe prosecuted 35 duty holders in 2025 over observed or reported safety issues. Preventable shortcuts, devastating outcomes Mr Jenkin said common construction shortcuts continued to place lives at risk.
“We want to ensure we’re using the most appropriate tools to influence behaviour change when it comes to common offences, such as those involving working at height,” he said.
“Not putting up guard rails for a quick roofing job or letting an apprentice work alone may seem like easy ways to save a bit of time or money, but the reality is you’re gambling with a person’s life.”
Of the 137 successful prosecutions last year, 17 followed incidents where a worker had died. Others involved life-changing injuries including paraplegia, brain damage and amputation.
“When employers fail to manage risks in their workplaces, the consequences can be catastrophic – both physically and mentally,” Mr Jenkin said.
Stronger penalties and broader enforcement
Throughout 2025, WorkSafe pursued tougher penalties through the courts, including seven appeals.
This included more than doubling a $1.3 million workplace manslaughter fine to $3 million following the death of a worker at a Somerton factory.
WorkSafe also took action on psychological harm, fining four duty holders under emerging obligations tied to new psychosocial health regulations.
“In 2026, we will continue to seek penalties that reflect the seriousness of each offence,” Mr Jenkin said. “There is absolutely no excuse for failing to keep workers safe.”