The Victorian Government has announced over $1.7 million in WorkSafe grants to support six Victorian organisations in tackling occupational disease and illness. These grants aim to improve workplace safety through education, risk management, and support for affected workers, particularly in high-risk industries.

Occupational diseases often develop slowly, making them harder to detect and manage. The grants—up to $300,000 per project—will fund initiatives that raise awareness, improve prevention strategies, and support those at risk.

Recipients include:

• Australian Workers Union: Raising awareness of diseases like asbestosis and silicosis, especially in regional and migrant communities.
• United Workers Union: Educating commercial laundry workers on disease risks.
• Brickies Network: Informing residential bricklayers about crystalline silica exposure.
• GippsDairy: Reducing Q fever cases through targeted education in Gippsland.
• Master Plumbers: Addressing long-term health risks in the plumbing industry.
• Monash University: Researching silicosis in Vietnamese stonemasons to improve migrant worker education.

Applications for the 2025–26 funding round will open soon via the WorkSafe website.

For more information, visit worksafe.vic.gov.au/worksafe-grants.