WorkSafe Victoria faced a critical challenge: multicultural migrant workers were disproportionately harmed in the workplace, leading to increased costs and significant human impact. This was often due to language barriers, reluctance to speak up, limited safety understanding, and cultural fear of authority. WorkSafe VIC engaged Etcom to develop campaign resources addressing sensitive issues like sexual harassment, aggression, and violence, aiming to highlight unacceptable behaviours and empower workers to take action. The campaign targeted Victorian migrant workers from ten diverse language groups: Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Punjabi, Sinhalese, and Tamil.
Etcom understood that effective messaging needed to be clear, factual, and empowering. We collaborated closely with creative and media agencies, culturally reviewing concepts to ensure they reflected recognisable scenarios and addressed key concerns for target audiences. Our implementation focused on educating, supporting, and guiding multicultural workers, empowering them to act and holding negligent employers accountable. We developed communications materials in all ten languages, including radio ads, video, social posts, digital banners, and website landing page content. Our best-practice approach ensured clarity, cultural relevance, and accessibility: copy was concise, NAATI translators crafted authentic in-language messaging, and accessible support was highlighted through calls to action for the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) and dedicated multicultural landing pages.
The Workplace Safety campaign delivered significant, measurable results. WorkSafe VIC saw a reduction in Total Scheme insurance claims and a consistent annual decrease in workplace fatalities, dropping from 91 in 2021-2022 to 33 as of August 2025. Furthermore, WorkSafe Victoria's 2025 financial results showed a $322 million surplus, demonstrating the long-term sustainability of the workers' compensation scheme. These outcomes underscore that multicultural audiences in Victoria now understand their right to workplace safety. Etcom's culturally tailored communications, combined with accessible resources, proved essential for promoting workplace safety and empowering multicultural migrant workers to exercise their rights, leading to a more productive and equitable workforce.