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New report documents work injury trends

Safe Work Australia (SWA) has published a new report highlighting the trends and costs of workplace injury and illness in Australia.

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Analysis of ABS Work-related injuries survey data, 2021-22 builds on survey data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) by exploring the links with SWA’s national dataset for compensation-based statistics and findings.

The report uses ABS data to unpack trends over time, identify and describe important findings beyond the key figures on the ABS website, and provides a more complete picture of work-related injuries that occur in the labour market.

Key findings from the report include:

  • In 2021-22, 497,300 (3.5 per cent) of the working population experienced a work-related injury or illness, down from 4.2 per cent in 2017-18.
  • The overall work-related injury rate was 35.3 injuries per 1,000 people who worked in the past 12 months.
  • For workers who experienced a work-related injury or illness in 2021-22, 31 per cent received workers compensation for the injury or illness, an increase from 27 per cent in 2017-18.
  • SWA data shows that serious workers’ compensation claims in 2020-21 resulted in a total loss of 1.9 million weeks of work.

The report shows the frequency rate of serious claims exhibits a long-term decreasing trend, with a recent period of successive increases since 2017-18.

It also hints at the growing issue of mental health in the workplace. Stress or other mental health conditions resulted in an average of 43.7 days away from work, compared with fractures or broken bones which resulted in an average of 29 days away from work.

This research also emphasises the cost of workplace injury and illness. It revealed that if all work-related injuries and illnesses were avoided, Australia’s economy would be, on average each year over the 2008-18 reference period, $28.6 billion (1.6 per cent of GDP) larger, with 185,500 additional jobs and a 1.3 per cent increase in wages.

How the Victorian Chamber can help

As an employer, you have a legal, financial and moral obligation to make sure your employees are safe from physical and psychological harm.

The Victorian Chamber offers a comprehensive range of health, safety and wellbeing (HSW) consulting, training and product packages, including a suite of mental health services, to help you with all your wellbeing and compliance needs.

For more information, and HSW support please contact us on 03 8662 5333 or hsw@victorianchamber.com.au to discuss your needs.

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