BALLARAT has had almost $48 million in WorkSafe insurance claims in the last five years.WorkSafe Victoria statistics showed claims came from the Golden Plains, Moorabool, Pyrenees, Hepburn and Central Goldfields shires.Greater Geelong had 2000 more claims than Ballarat and 800 more than Bendigo.In the past five years more than 152,200 Victorians were seriously injured while working and made a claim.WorkSafe's Michael Birt said the number of claims from Victoria was falling."That's why we are running campaigns, to get a positive message out about safety and making sure people get the information needed and can pass it on," Mr Birt said."One thing we talk about is for people to not just be trained, but retrained and be kept up to date."If small-medium businesses are prosecuted then it can be an enormous commercial cost, he says."A $50,000 fine for small-medium business is a person's wage," Mr Birt said."By putting WorkSafe skills into practice and applying them it eliminates the risk of prosecution."If someone is badly hurt or killed, word goes around a town fairly quickly, so (working safe) is a big thing."WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said workplace safety should be a priority."The sad reality is that almost every one of these injuries is preventable," Mr Merritt said.Statistics have been released in conjunction with WorkSafe Week, which begins on October 27 and runs until October 31."WorkSafe Week provides an opportunity for both workers and management to take stock and focus on how they can improve their health and safety standards," Mr Merritt said."One way to make your workplace safer is by attending WorkSafe Week."Seminars and events will be held in Ballarat at Doherty Lodge over the week.On Monday, October 27, at 3pm and Tuesday, October 28, at 10am, an interactive materials handling and safety trade show will demonstrate the latest developments in safety equipment, service and products.A "Leading the Way with Safety" conference will focus on manual handling, occupational health and safety and an ageing workforce on Tuesday, October 28 at 9am.A dinner will be held the same day at 7.30pm.On Thursday, October 30, an all-terrain vehicle safety demonstration will feature at 10am at the Victorian Farm Safety Training Centre.Registrations for WorkSafe Week are open and anyone interested in reserving a place can do so at www.work Safe.vic.gov.au