Half a million Australians experience work-related illness or injury

October 12, 2001 - A new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report shows that 477,800 people experienced a work-related injury or illness in the year ending September 2000. This amounts to about 5% of the 9,687,300 Australians aged 15 and over who worked at some time during that period. Broken down into major categories:

* 60 per 1,000 males
* 36 per 1,000 females
* 70 per 1,000 males aged 35-44 years
* 41 per 1,000 females aged 35-44 years.

The report indicates that, of people who had experienced a work-related injury or illness in the 12 months ending September 2000:

* 6% were not working at September 2000

* 89% were employees in the job where they experienced a work-related injury or illness

* More than twice as many males (323,900) experienced a work-related injury or illness as female workers (154,000).

40% of the 477,800 people who experienced a work-related injury or illness received workers' compensation for their most recent work-related injury or illness.

259,900 did not apply for workers' compensation. Very nearly a half (49%) of these said the main reason for not applying was that they considered the injury or illness to be minor. More than half (54%) of those who did not apply for workers' compensation received no financial assistance for that injury or illness. Of the 46% receiving financial assistance, the most common sources were Medicare and employer provided sick leave.

More details can be found in Work-Related Injuries, Australia, September 2000 (Cat. No. 6324.0), available from ABS bookshops.