Safe Work Australia is currently focussing on eight occupational diseases: respiratory disease; occupational cancers; contact dermatitis; infectious and parasitic diseases; cardiovascular disease; musculoskeletal disorders; mental disorders; and noise-induced hearing loss. Reports are compiled every two years showing information on the incidence of these diseases.

The indicators in this report primarily rely on workers’ compensation claims data from the NDS. These data are augmented, where possible, with data from other sources. However, since the additional data sources (NHMD, NNDSS, and NCSCH) do not identify work-relatedness, they are only presented for diseases that are acknowledged as having a high attribution to exposure hazards found in the work environment.