Injury statistics for tradies at work.
By Arlene Rampono
Working as a tradie is very physical and the possibility of being injured is all so real.
Stats from Safe Work Australia confirm that tradies, labourers, machinery operators and drivers are at a higher risk of incurring a serious injury and making a claim, making up 50% of serious claims.
Furthermore, trade workers and technicians were among the occupation groups with the highest rates of workrelated injuries and illnesses (72 out of 1000 employees). Drivers, labourers and machinery operators take the third spot with 57 per 1000 employees affected.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF INJURIES?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most common causes of injury or illness are lifting, pushing, pulling or bending (24.2%), being hit or cut by an object or vehicle (18.2%) and slips and falls (15.5%). 60% of these people had time off as a result of their injury or illness with only 27% of them receiving workers compensation for the injury or illness.
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME SPENT IN HOSPITAL?
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (AIHW) in 2019-2020, average time spend in hospital due to falls was 6.9 days, for thermal causes 5.2 days & transport accidents 4.7 days.
Days in hospital don’t include rehab time at home or reduced capacity at work once you return and gradually get back to your pre-existing level or work pace.
Interestingly, despite being injured at work, most tradies (84%) stay on at the job where they were injured or fell ill (according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics). Only 7% of tradies who were injured at work changed their jobs.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
These statistics highlight the higher risks for injury as a tradie, therefore you should consider the importance of insurance cover. The types of insurance cover include personal accident and illness insurance, life insurance, income protection insurance and health cover.
Personal accident and illness insurance pays a weekly amount to you, if you are accidentally injured or suffer a covered illness* and you can’t work for a temporary time. Check for policies that insure you 24/7 so you can have extra peace of mind while kicking a footy over the weekend.
Life insurance cover pays a sum at death or a permanent plan provides peace of mind for the rest of your life.
Income protection insurance pays an agreed amount to assist you make payments while you are unable to work.
Health insurance covers vary on policy selected, so it’s good to check you have enough cover. (*Note not all illnesses are covered- refer to Product Disclosure Statement for details of coverage)
In summary, working as a tradie is physically demanding and according to the statistics tradies are at a higher risk of injury than most occupations. If you are injured in the workplace, insurance will minimise your risk and help you to pay for the hospitalisation, treatment or claims for loss of income.
For more information on tradie’s insurance, visit imar.com.au/blog
