The Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) is calling on employers across all industries to review the controls that protect their people from injury as National WorkSpace Week runs from 19 to 25 October under the theme Work Well From Head to Toe.
Aligned with Safe Work Australia’s National Safe Work Month and the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033, the campaign enters its fifth year with a spotlight on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which account for 57 percent of serious workers’ compensation claims in Australia.
For the cleaning industry, where lifting, pushing, pulling and bending define the working day, because body stressing caused 34.5 percent of serious claims and ranked as the most common injury mechanism across every major occupation group.(Source: Safe Work Australia’s Key Work Health and Safety Statistics October 2025)
The numbers carry weight (pun intended). Serious claims have climbed by 37,600 over the past decade, and ACA President Dr Billy Chow says regular reviews of workplace controls hold the key to prevention.
“Over 400 serious claims are lodged every day across Australia, so reducing the incidences of WMSDs, promoting the importance of employers reviewing workplace controls and conducting regular internal reviews of risk management procedures can aid in the prevention and early detection of WMSDs,” says Chow.
Work-related injuries cost the economy $14.7 billion a year in direct health costs, and that figure climbs above $55.1 billion once lost productivity and reduced quality of life enter the calculation, yet only three in 10 injured workers receive compensation. In 2022, 7.3 million Australians, or 29 percent of the population, lived with a chronic musculoskeletal disorder, and that rate has stayed steady since 2017-18.
Stress, screens and the spine
Mental stress adds another layer of risk, accounting for 11.5 percent of serious claims while keeping injured workers away from their jobs for a median of 36.8 weeks at a median compensation cost of $69,900.
Research cited by the ACA links chronic back pain with mental health problems, and a 2025 Pureprofile survey of tech neck sufferers found that 24 percent experienced higher irritability, 20 percent noticed poorer concentration and 23 percent had disrupted sleep.
Chow urged employers to act on those early warning signs before they develop into long-term conditions.
“WMSDs can reduce workers’ productivity and quality of life while increasing psychological distress, bodily pain and disability, so it’s essential for employers to implement preventative interventions,” he says.
The ACA recommends interventions that include posture improvements, regular stretching and strengthening, ergonomic workstations, task-specific equipment changes, manual handling training and workload balance that reduces mental stress.
Employers and workers can download free checklists, factsheets, exercise posters and podcasts, and register their organisations, at workspaceweek.org.au.
