The field of Occupational Health and Safety has grown at a rapid rate in recent times and there are governing bodies established in almost every country that implement, manage and monitor the practices of workplaces with-in their communities.

In Australia, we are covered by both Federal and State governments with very strict O.H. & S. legislative requirements. This legislation is contributed to by a number of authority organisations, interested groups and large companies across every state. Additionally, there are considerable existing networks (and new ones being formed constantly) between countries to discuss, share and co-operate in the formation of new tighter cross country regulations. Australia and New Zealand are fairly obvious partners in this aspect, however their involvement and associations can be seen in almost all major countries nowdays.

We have ties with Canada, UK, European Union, China, US and many more countries all with a similar aim – to incorporate the latest thinking, practices and most of all, the protection of every single person in the workplace.

MINC Risk Services believe in the work we conduct in this field of O.H.&S.

Our Vision for the future:

“A team, whose every day actions help to improve the lives of our family, our friends and those in our community.”

We have devoted a large portion of our time, energy and life to fulfilling this Vision and are able to offer our clients a wide range of services to help each of them improve the quality of life in their workplaces.

So what does O.H.& S mean for you? – Improved Working Standards and Longer Life!

If one looks at the current statistics in Australia for workplace injuries or fatalities, you may draw the conclusion that for all of the above mentioned activity, there does not seem to be a lot of successful progress in preventing accidents or saving lives, and you might be correct for the loss of just one life is one too many. However if you were to look at the statistical history going back over the past decades it provides a different, more encouraging picture with a significant reduction of injuries and fatalities in all 19 workplace sectors. Hence it is now a safer, healthier environment for us all to live (barring terrorist attack of course). We can see this evidenced by the life expectancy rates which have increased steadily.

Let’s look at some Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Over the period 1901-2000, life expectancy at birth increased by 21.4 years for males and 23.3 years for females. However, the rate of growth in life expectancy over the century was not constant. This is illustrated by the analysis over three periods—1900 to 1950, 1950 to 1970, and 1970 to 2000 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Expected length of life at birth and at 65 years, by sex, Australia, 1901-1910 to 2000.

Sources: Australian Government Actuary 1999, World Health Organization 2002.

How long do people live in Australia?

• For males born in the years 2002-2004, their life expectancy is estimated to be 78.1 years.
• For females born in the years 2002-2004, their life expectancy is estimated to be 83.0 years.

Life expectancy is not uniform across populations within Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a much lower life expectancy than the general Australian population. A person's life expectancy also depends on the age they have already reached. For the general Australian population (the national average):

• Males aged 30 in 2002-04 could expect to live to 79.4 years.
• Males aged 65 in 2002-04 could expect to live to 82.8 years.
• Females aged 30 in 2002-04 could expect to live to 83.8 years.
• Females aged 65 in 2002-04 could expect to live to 86.1 years.

How does our life expectancy compare to other countries?

Overall, Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world. In 2003 the male life expectancy of 78 years can be compared with the highest recorded, in Japan and Iceland (both 78). The highest female life expectancies were recorded in Japan (85 years) and France (84), compared with Australia's 83.0. Australian life expectancy is a little higher than in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and Germany, and higher again than in the United Kingdom and the United States.Most of the countries compared in Table 3 are from the more developed regions of the world. The life expectancies of less developed countries are considerably lower. Regions defined by the United Nations as being made up of less developed countries (i.e. countries outside Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand) have an overall life expectancy of about 64 years, compared with 75 years for developed regions. The African continent has the lowest life expectancy at birth (less than 50 years).

Table 3: Life expectancy at birth, selected countries, 2003

MINC Risk Services look forward to helping answer your questions and developing your business to the new highs in the area of Health & Safety.