SA Unions also want the state government to bring forward new industrial manslaughter legislation and push ahead with a review of SafeWork SA, the safety regulator.

Secretary Dale Beasley said employers that failed to act on making workplaces safer should face prosecution.

But he said more must also be done to ensure hazards were identified and safety issues addressed before an injury occurs.

"Safework SA inspectors are stretched so thin that they can't investigate everything they need to," Mr Beasley said.

"Workers need to know that when they report something unsafe, it'll get looked at - their lives depend on it."

On the issue of industrial manslaughter laws, Mr Beasley said it was simple.

"If you kill a worker, you should go to jail," he said.

"When bosses cut corners on safety, they're gambling that the cost of doing the right thing is higher than if something goes wrong.

"For some employers, this gamble has been too tempting. The penalties aren't big enough.

"The government should introduce legislation to hold bad bosses accountable as soon as they can."

Australian Associated Press