Temporary or Part-Time Workers have 50 Percent Higher Injury Rate than Permanent Workers

A recent report from Safe Work Australia found that temporary or part-time workers recorded a work-related injury rate 50 percent higher than permanent workers in 2009-10 with females reporting a significantly higher rate of injuries per hour worked than males.

The report, Australian work-related injury experience by sex and age (2009-2010), examines the work-related injury experience of male and female workers across different age groups. The report also provides data that can assist industry identify demographics where work health and safety can be improved.

In 2009-10, close to 640 000 workers reported they had suffered a work-related injury which is close to triple the population of a city the size of Hobart reporting a work-related injury.

While males recorded a 19 percent fall in the number of injuries incurred at work since 2005-06 the number for females increased by 11 percent. Although the decrease is reassuring the fact injury rates for females increased indicates that as a nation more effort is needed to improve work health and safety for our workers.

Other key findings of the report include:

Temporary or part-time workers reported 54 injuries per million hours worked compared with a rate of 35 for those with leave entitlements.
Working under shift arrangements or as a part-time worker was also associated with higher rates of injury. Half of all female workers worked part-time in 2009-10.
For each hour worked females had a 28 percent higher risk of injury compared with male workers.
High rates of injury were experienced in the accommodation and food services industry. This industry has high levels of temporary or part-time and part-time work.
The most common cause of injury across all age groups was sprain/strain.
Workers aged 15-24 recorded rates of injury substantially higher than other age groups.

Safe Work Australia provided funding to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to obtain this data. The report is the second using these data.

In November, 2011 Safe Work Australia published Work-related Injuries in Australia: Who did and did not receive workers compensation in 2009-10.

Australian work-related injury experience by sex and age, 2009-10 is available at:

www .safeworkaustralia .gov .au

Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

WORKERS COMP MANAGEMENT MANUAL: www.WCManual.com

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.