Key work health and safety statistics Australia 2022

Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia 2022 provides an overview of the latest national data on work-related fatalities and workers’ compensation claims. This includes trends, gender and age comparisons, and industry and occupation breakdowns.

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The report was updated 17 January 2023. The update affected page 11 of the report only.

The costs of work-related injuries and diseases are not included in Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia 2022. To find out more about these costs read the Safer, healthier, wealthier: The economic value of reducing work-related injuries and illnesses – summary report.

This includes trends, gender and age comparisons, and industry and occupation breakdowns for work health and safety and serious workers’ compensation claims in Australia.

The costs of work-related injuries and diseases are not included in Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia 2021.

Work-related injury fatalities

Safe Work Australia compiles the Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities data set which provides national statistics on all workers and bystanders fatally injured at work. This data draws on a range of information sources, including: 

  • initial reporting of fatalities in the media or on relevant authority websites such as police, road authorities and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau 
  • notifications to Safe Work Australia from the jurisdictional authorities, and 
  • the National Coronial Information System which provides confidential access to coroners’, police and other investigative reports. 

Work-related fatalities resulting from diseases, natural causes and suicides are excluded. Further explanatory notes on the data can be found in the Explanatory notes for Safe Work Australia datasets.

This document provides statistics about people who die from an injury sustained in the course of a work activity (worker fatalities) in Australian territories or territorial seas.

Trends in worker fatalities, 2003 to 2021

Trends in worker fatalities, 2003 to 2020 image

Worker fatalities by gender, 2021

Worker fatalities by gender, 2020 image

Worker fatalities by age group, 2021

Worker fatalities by age group, 2021
Age group (years) Number of fatalities Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers)
Under 25 16 0.9
25-34 22 0.7
35-44 26 0.9
45-54 33 1.2
55-64 43 2.2
65 and over 29 4.5
Total 169 1.3

Worker fatalities by state/territory, 2021*

*fatalities are presented according to the state or territory where the fatality occurred, not the jurisdiction under which the fatality fell.

Worker fatalities by state/territory, 2021 image

Worker fatalities by mechanism of incident, 2021

Worker fatalities by mechanism of incident, 2021 image

Note:

  • only mechanisms accounting for 5% or more of fatalities are included.  The remaining mechanisms are grouped together under other mechanisms.  
  • the percentages shown in this table have been rounded to the nearest whole number; therefore the sum of percentage figures for each column may not equal the total.
Worker fatalities by mechanism of incident, 2021
Mechanism of incident Number of fatalities % of fatalities
Vehicle collision* 64 38%
Being hit by moving objects 24 14%
Falls from a height   19 11%
Being hit by falling objects 16 9%
Being trapped by moving machinery 11 7%
Other mechanisms 35 21%
Total 169 100%

*vehicle collisions include fatalities that occurred as a direct result of a vehicle crash. Vehicles include not only road vehicles such as cars and trucks, but also machines such as aircraft, boats, loaders, tractors and quad bikes.

Worker fatalities by occupation, 2021

Worker fatalities by occupation, 2021 image

Worker fatalities by occupation, 2021
Occupation Number of fatalities Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers)
Machinery operators and drivers 68 8.2
Labourers 34 2.9
Managers 24 1.4
Technicians and trades workers 22 1.2
Community and personal service workers 12 0.8
Professionals 6 0.2
Sales workers 2 0.2
Clerical and administrative workers 1 0.1
Total 169 1.3

Worker fatalities by industry, 2021

Worker fatalities by industry, 2021 image

Worker fatalities by industry, 2021
Industry of employer Number of fatalities Fatality rate (fatalities per 100,000 workers)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 33 10.4
Transport, postal and warehousing 52 7.9
Mining 6 2.3
Construction 24 2.1
Arts and recreation services 5 2.1
Electricity, gas, water and waste services 3 2.1
Manufacturing 16 1.8
Administrative and support services 5 1.2
Wholesale trade 4 1.1
Rental, hiring and real estate services 2 0.9
Public administration and safety 6 0.6
Other services 3 0.6
Education and training 4 0.4
Accommodation and food services 2 0.2
Health care and social assistance 2 0.1
Professional, scientific and technical services 1 0.1
Retail trade 1 0.1
Financial and insurance services 0 0
Information media and telecommunications 0 0
Total 169 1.3

Work-related injury and disease

Safe Work Australia compiles the National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics (NDS) which comprises information on workers’ compensation claims provided by each of the jurisdictional workers’ compensation authorities. 

Data in this report refers to serious claims only.  Serious claims include all accepted workers’ compensation claims for an incapacity that results in a total absence from work of one working week or more, excluding fatalities and journey claims. Data for 2019-20 are preliminary (denoted by a ‘p’) and subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised. Further explanatory notes on the data can be found in the National data set for compensation-based statistics for Safe Work Australia.

Serious claims statistics, 2020-21p*

Serious claims statistics, 2020-21p image

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**the median includes serious claims where the payment made was greater than zero.

Serious claim rate, 2000-01 to 2020-21*

Serious claim rate, 2000-01 to 2020-21* image

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

Serious claims by gender, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by gender, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by gender, 2020-21p*
Gender Number of serious claims Frequency rate (serious claims per million hours worked) Incidence rate (serious claims per thousand employees)
Female 50,929 6.0 8.5
Male 79,083 6.9 12.5
Total*** 130,195 6.5 10.5

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**the median includes serious claims where the payment made was greater than zero.

***the totals include serious claims where gender was not collected or is unknown.

Serious claims by age group, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by age group, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by age group, 2020-21p*
Age group (years) Number of serious claims Frequency rate (serious claims per million hours worked) Incidence rate (serious claims per thousand employees)
Under 20 4.581 7.5 6.5
20-24 11,905 6.9 9.7
25-29 13,693 5.6 9.4
30-34 13,567 5.3 9.1
35-39 13,035 5.2 8.9
40-44 12,631 5.6 9.8
45-49 15,161 6.6 11.8
50-54 15,908 7.7 13.4
55-59 14,856 8.4 14.1
60-64 10,515 9.3 14.8
65 and over 4,343 7.1 9.2
Total 130,195 6.5 10.5

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

Serious claims by mechanism of incident, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by mechanism of incident, 2020-21p* image

Serious claims by mechanism of incident, 2020-21p*
Mechanism of incident Number of serious claims % of serious claims****
Female Male Total Female Male Total
Body stressing 18,574 29,710 48,358 36% 38% 37%
Falls, trips and slips of a person 13,071 16,935 30,039 26% 21% 23%
Being hit by moving objects 6,699 13,623 20,339 13% 17% 16%
Mental stress 6,418 4,682 11,109 13% 6% 9%
Hitting objects with a part of the body 2,250 7,260 9,535 4% 9% 7%
Vehicle incidents and other*** 2,319 4,786 7,124 5% 6% 5%
Heat, electricity and other environmental factors 717 999 1,721 1% 1% 1%
Chemicals and other substances 408 678 1,086 1% 1% 1%
Total** 50,929 79,083 130,195 100% 100% 100%

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**the total for serious claims includes other mechanisms of incident such as biological factors, sound and pressure, roll over, slide or cave-in, and other multiple or unspecified mechanisms of incident.

***vehicle collisions include claims where the injury was the direct result of a vehicle crash. Vehicles include not only road vehicles such as cars and trucks, but also machines such as aircraft, boats, loaders, tractors and quad bikes.

****percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal place and may not sum to total.

*****the totals include serious claims where gender was not collected or is unknown.

Serious claims by nature of injury/disease, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by nature of injury/disease, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by nature of injury/disease, 2020-21p
Mechanism of incident Number of serious claims % of serious claims****
Female Male Total Female Male Total
Traumatic joint/ligament and muscle/tendon injury 20,926 31,310 52,316 41% 40% 40%
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases 9,035 11,901 20,965 18% 15% 16%
Wounds, lacerations, amputations and internal organ damage 5,112 14,348 19,485 10% 18% 15%
Fractures 4,792 8,925 13,732 9% 11% 11%
Mental health conditions 6,899 5,244 12,155 14% 7% 9%
Other injuries** 1,070 1,882 2,952 2% 2% 2%
Digestive system diseases 111 1,874 1,989 0% 2% 2%
Burn 697 1,147 1,850 1% 1% 1%
Nervous system and sense organ diseases 717 755 1,475 1% 1% 1%
Intracranial injuries 577 618 1,199 1% 1% 1%
Total*** 50,929 79,083 130,195 100% 100% 100%

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**other injuries include those related to poisoning, electrocution, air pressure, weather conditions, unspecified injuries and injuries not classified elsewhere.

***injuries or diseases accounting for less than 1% of serious claims are not included separately, but are included in the total.

****percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal place and may not sum to total.

*****the totals include serious claims where gender was not collected or is unknown.

Mental health conditions, 2020-21p*

Mental health conditions, 2020-21p* image

  • Mental health conditions account for a relatively small but increasing proportion of serious claims, rising from 6.2% of all serious claims in 2014-15 to 9.3% in 2020-21p. 
    • In 2020-21, the largest share related to anxiety or stress disorders (36%) or reaction to stressors – other, multiple or not specified (34%).
  • Workplace mental health conditions are one of the costliest forms of workplace injury. Our data show that they lead to significantly more time off work and higher compensation paid when compared to physical injuries and diseases. In 2019-20:
    • The median time lost for mental health conditions was 30.7 working weeks per serious claim, compared to 6.2 working weeks per serious claim for physical injuries and diseases.  
    • The median compensation paid was $55,270  per serious claim, compared to $13,883 for physical injuries and diseases.
  • The median time lost (in working weeks) for mental health conditions has increased markedly in recent years, from 18.8 working weeks in 2015‑16 to 30.7 working weeks in 2019-20.

COVID-19 claims***

COVID-19 claims image

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**the median includes serious claims where the payment made was greater than zero.

***the COVID workers’ compensation claims data need to be interpreted carefully in the context of the reference period for this data, the difficulty in establishing a work connection to transmission of the virus and the possibility that workers with COVID-19 may not have applied for compensation and instead used personal leave.

Serious claims by bodily location of injury, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by bodily location of injury, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by bodily location of injury, 2020-21p*
Bodily location of injury/disease Number of serious claims % of serious claims****
Head 4,784 4%
Lower limbs 30,081 23%
Multiple locations 4,467 3%
Neck 2,652 2%
Non-physical locations 12,134 9%
Systemic locations 938 1%
Trunk 28,560 22%
Upper limbs 45,993 35%
Total*** 130,195 100%

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**other locations include multiple locations, systemic locations, and trunk excluding chest and abdomen.

***claims where the bodily location was unknown are not included separately, but are included in the total. 

****percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal place and may not sum to total. 

Serious claims by occupation, 2020-21p*

Due to an issue with processing occupational data for a small proportion of workers’ compensation claims, this part of the report was updated 22 November 2022.

Serious claims by occupation, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by occupation, 2020-21p*
Occupation Number of serious claims Frequency rate (serious claims per million hours worked) Incidence rate (serious claims per thousand employees)
Labourers 3,309 21.9 30.5

Community and personal service workers

26,245 15.2 19.2

Machinery operators and drivers

16,443 11.7 21.8
Technicians and trades workers 22,255 7.9 14.5
Sales workers 4,825 3.6 4.4
Professionals 14,126 2.6 4.3
Managers 5,925 2.0 3.9
Clerical and administrative workers 5,536 2.1 3.2
Total** 130,195 6.5 10.5

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**claims where the occupation was unknown are not included separately, but are included in the total. 

Serious claims by industry, 2020-21p*

Serious claims by industry, 2020-21p image

Serious claims by industry, 2020-21p*
Industry Number of serious claims Frequency rate (serious claims per million hours worked) Incidence rate (serious claims per thousand employees)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 4,159 11.1 20.2
Health care and social assistance 26,239 10.2 14.6
Manufacturing 14,663 9.6 17.6
Construction 16,088 8.8 16.9
Transport, postal and warehousing 9,122 8.8 15.8
Wholesale trade 5,352 8.0 14.7
Administrative and support services 5,364 7.9 12.1
Arts and recreation services 2,195 7.6 9.7
Public administration and safety 10,481 7.1 11.8
Accommodation and food services 6,890 7.0 8.2
Other services 3,648 5.5 8.9
Mining 2,806 5.2 11.2
Retail trade 8,986 5.1 7.0
Education and training 8,212 4.7 7.1
Electricity, gas, water and waste services 1,313 4.5 8.8
Rental, hiring and real estate services 1,128 3.2 5.7
Information media and telecommunications 574 1.8 3.1
Professional, scientific and technical services 2,290 1.2 2.1
Financial and insurance services 614 0.7 1.3
Total** 130,195 6.5 10.5

*preliminary data subject to revision in future years as further claims are finalised.

**other industries include all other industries excluding the top seven industries by number of serious claims.

NB: For some claims information about age, sex, industry and occupation is not available. Stated totals may therefore differ from the sums of rows or columns.

Due to a minor processing issue industry classifications for a very small number of workers’ compensation claims were revised on 11/11/2022. The final table in Key WHS statistics has been updated accordingly.

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