One in five serious workplace injuries involve a tradie, according to APA's health report

Australia’s hundreds of thousands of tradies may enjoy the outdoors, but it does come at a price with one in five of all serious workplace injuries involving a tradie.

Startling figures from an Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) health report released on Friday (1 August) show tradies have among the highest number of injuries, musculoskeletal conditions and other health and safety risks of any profession.

Released as part of Tradies National Health Month, the ‘Stop Trading Your Health Away’ report shows nearly one in five serious workplace-related injuries involve a tradie, making them one of the most affected professions in Australia.

APA National President Marcus Dripps said the report also provides startling data and qualitative insights on the low awareness and access to preventative health such as physiotherapy among this group of Australians.

“Despite the high safety measures in place, many tradies continue to get hurt but the majority often ignore aches and pain and don't seek treatment,” said Dripps. “This can have a long-term effect on tradies - many whom retire well before many white collar workers of the same age.”

Musculoskeletal health costs $20.9 billion annually in direct health and lost productivity costs in Australia.

“Awareness is the first step to promote changes. Musculoskeletal health is imperative for tradies to do their job, and ignoring aches, pain and body stress can result in early retirement and reduced quality of life.”

Within the industry, construction workers are currently claiming 34% of workers compensation claims. More than half of these claims were related to muscular stress while handling a range of materials, tools or other equipment.

Tradies are also among one of the largest proportions of occupations with the highest incidence of early retirement. Statistics show that tradies are 35 to 50% more likely to retire before the age of 60 compared to professional workers.

As part of the awareness month, the APA has engaged carpenter Kyal and qualified physiotherapist Kara from the Nine Network TV show The Block to champion this cause.

“Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a qualified physiotherapist as a wife,” Kyal said. “Most tradies I know complain about their injuries yet do nothing to fix them.”

“We hope that this month will shed some light on issues that plague most tradies,” said Kara. “As an APA physio, I feel that this is a vital topic of conversation that we need to encourage with workers and employers.”

Other ambassadors championing this cause include Dave Hughes, who stars in a series of videos made especially for this occasion. The APA will be releasing these videos on its website and its Facebook pages.

During August, the APA and Steel Blue will promote health and safety tips for tradies as physiotherapists visit construction sites around the country, as well as on their website www.tradieshealth.com.au. The APA started Tradies National Health Month last year in partnership with Steel Blue to stop tradies ignoring their health in the workplace.