The lowest compensated fatality rate in a decade

Work-related compensated injury fatalities are at the lowest level since 2002, the Fifteenth Edition of the Comparative Performance Monitoring (CPM) report has revealed. The report, released by Safe Work Australia today, provides trend analysis on the work health and safety and workers’ compensation schemes operating in Australia and New Zealand.

In releasing the report, Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer Rex Hoy recognised the progress that has been made but noted there was still more room for improvement.

“Over a decade ago the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 set the target of a 20% reduction in the incidence rate of work-related fatalities by 2012. We have achieved this with a 47% reduction in fatalities,” said Hoy.

“While this is a good result, there were still 199 compensated fatalities recorded in Australia for 2011-12. More work is still needed to improve work health and safety and reduce this figure even further.”

The report also revealed that in 2011-12, 12 out of every 1000 workers were injured seriously enough to require one week or more off work. While there has been a 28% improvement since 2002, the target of a 40% reduction in the rate of injuries by 2012 was not achieved.

"To continue to see a decrease in injury and disease in the workplace we must stay committed to work health and safety and set high targets to ensure safer workplaces for all Australians,” said Hoy.

“A record 891 Safety Ambassadors registered this year for Safe Work Australia Month and held activities in workplaces across Australia. This is in addition to the thousands of people who attended events and seminars organised by work health and safety regulators.

“It is through raising awareness of work health and safety and encouraging workers to speak up about hazards that these figures will continue to drop.”

Other key findings in the report include:

• the rate of return to work following an injury decreased 2% points from last year with 75% of injured workers successfully returning to work within eight to 10 months of sustaining their injury in 2010-11,
• transport and storage, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are still substantially higher than the national average of fatality and injury rates for all industries,
• Australian workers’ compensation schemes paid out more than $7.8 billion with around half (55%) paid directly to injured workers in compensation for their injury or illness and 23% spent on medical and other services,
• body stressing continued to be the main cause of injury/disease, accounting for 40% of claims,
• work health and safety authorities undertook close to 211,300 workplace interventions and issued 58,100 notices during 2011-12, and
• employers are now paying 1.51% of payroll in workers' compensation premiums compared to 1.63% in 2007-08.

The CPM report series can be found at www.swa.gov.au