QLD - Updated Postcards Highlight Industry and Mental Health Injury Rates

Original article published by WorkSafe Queensland

There are around 68,000 general workplace injuries a year in Queensland, affecting one in every 35 workers. One in every 85 workers suffers a serious injury.

Those stats are just a sample of the work safety facts contained in a new suite of industry postcards providing a statistical snapshot of a range of industries across the state.

The postcards represent the agriculture, health, construction, transport, and manufacturing industries as well as a state-wide summary and one for work-related mental disorders.

The state-wide postcard reveals about 41 people die each year from a workplace injury, with an average $14,000 paid out for each workers’ compensation claim. On average, 57 days are lost for injuries needing time off work. Those in manufacturing are nearly two and half times more likely to be injured compared with other workers, and males aged between 25 and 34 years represent one in six general workplace injuries.

Hazardous manual tasks account for most injuries (33%) followed by falls, trips and slips (19%) and being hit by moving objects (19%).

The industry postcards detail the types and cost of injuries in each industry, as well as workdays lost and the age of injured workers.

The new Work-related mental disorders postcard includes the cost and type of injury, and which occupation is most likely to be affected. Exposure to work-related violence (32%) is the biggest contributor to mental health injuries and health and welfare support workers, defence force members, fire fighters and police have the highest incidence rate of accepted mental disorder claims.