Overview
The Accommodation and Food Services industry, which includes hospitality workers, employs about 56,000 people in South Australia.
The Pubs, Clubs, Taverns & Bars industry sector group has high injury rates, specific risks and has experienced significant fluctuations in trade between 2020 and 2025.
Impacts from Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis leading to less disposable income have contributed. The industry sector is underregulated, employs new/young workers and workers with non-English speaking backgrounds, and is seeing a rise in exposure to violence and aggression.
Injury data
Between 1 January 2016 and 31 July 2024, ReturnToWork SA accepted 1,616 injury claims with the top five mechanisms of injury being:
- hitting objects with a part of the body
- body stressing
- falls/trips/slips
- hit by a moving object
- heat/electricity and other environmental factors.
Campaign information
The 12-month campaign will begin in July 2025 and will target businesses with a history of high workers’ compensation claims. Businesses with a high a number of new/young workers and workers with non-English speaking backgrounds will also be targeted. A total of 50 businesses will be visited.
The campaign has three initiatives, all of which will include worksite inspections and audits to identify non-compliance and assist in educating the businesses on their Work Health & Safety (WHS) responsibilities.
Common injury mechanisms
Inspectors will analyse injury claims and SafeWork SA data to identify workplaces across the Pubs, Taverns & Bars sector. The identified workplaces will be audited to improved compliance with Work Health and Safety and Dangerous Substance legislation.
The audits will focus on common injury mechanisms across the Pubs, Clubs, Taverns & Bars industry, including:
- Hitting Objects with a Part of the Body: Ensuring proper storage of materials, appropriate housekeeping and lighting throughout the workplace, and adequate warning information.
- Body Stressing: Consulting with workers to identify and mitigate body stressing tasks, verification of effective training, and assessment of risk for tasks performed.
- Slips, Trips, and Falls: Improving housekeeping and ground surfaces, adequate space to move about the workplace.
- Being Hit by Moving Objects: Ensuring appropriate machine guarding is in place, signage on swing doors, etc.
- Heat, Electricity and Other Environmental Factors: Current electrical testing and Residual Current Device (RCD) testing, routine services of air conditioning system and kitchen extraction systems, appropriate ventilation.
- Mental Stress: Process for managing and responding to violence and aggression (patrons), suitable grievance resolution processes, adequate training.
- Chemicals and Other Substances: Verifying site chemical registers, access to Safety Data Sheets (SDS), correct storage of chemicals (including restraint of pressurised cylinders), appropriate worker training.
- Sound and Pressure: Ensuring appropriate noise monitoring (specifically in service rooms, kitchens and gaming areas), adequate job rotation.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Training of workers and enforcing PPE usage.
- Regulator Notification Procedures: Verify the notifiable incident reporting procedures and ensure reference to scene preservation.
Expected Outcomes:
- Reduction in injuries related to the above mechanisms
- Improved compliance with Work Health and Safety and Dangerous Substance legislation
- Enhanced worker safety through better housekeeping and hazard management.
High injury claim businesses
ReturnToWorkSA claims data will be used to identify businesses with high injury claims. These businesses will undergo an on-site audit and receive statutory notices for any non-compliances identified.
The campaign will utilise the expertise of SafeWork SAs work environment team. SafeWork SA’s new Health and Safety Representative (HSR) strategy will also be discussed with this cohort.
This part of the campaign aims to:
- Improve compliance with safety regulations
- Reduce injury rates
- Enhance workplace safety culture.
New/young workers or workers with non-English speaking backgrounds
The Pubs, Clubs, Taverns & Bars industry attracts a number of new/young workers and workers with non-English speaking backgrounds.
The third initiative of the proactive campaign will include audits to ensure these workers are receiving appropriate training and supervision and will ensure compliance with legislation.
Collaboration with the South Australian Skills Commission will help identify trends and implement risk mitigation strategies.
Expected Outcomes:
- Reduced injury rates among young workers
- Better training and supervision for apprentices
- Enhanced collaboration with the SA Skills Commission.
