Occupations heat maps
Occupations heat maps provides a visual representation of relative risk across occupations. The heat maps are based on the concept of the harm index which is a ratio of total statutory costs (an indicator of severity) and exposure (i.e. workers covered) within a given cohort to give an assessment of risk, which represents the relative harm workers are likely to sustain during their working lives.
Occupational heat maps were generated using on-duty at place of work finalised workers' compensation claims only. The heat maps were produced using the following conditions:
- All on-duty claims, excluding on-duty road traffic incidents (Appendix 1)
- Serious on-duty at place of work claims (five or more days off work, excluding on-duty road traffic incidents) (Appendix 2)
- On-duty road traffic incidents only (Appendix 3).
The reports highlight occupations as:
- green (low harm) where index values are at or below the all occupation average
- orange (medium harm) occupations above and up to twice the average
- red (high harm) occupations with index values at more than twice the average.
All results in these heat maps have been calculated using a consistent methodology in 2020 for comparative purposes and therefore index values and colours may not be the same as in previously published reports.
Results
Harm index analysis for on-duty at place of work claims revealed the occupation groups with the highest index level occupations were:
- Labourers
- Machinery operators and drivers
- Technicians and trades workers
- Community and personal services workers
These four occupation groups represent half of the eight categories, yet their claim numbers account for 79 per cent of all in scope claims. It is a similar result for statutory payments, with these four occupation groups accounting for 80 per cent of the total. Further, the first three groups were responsible for approximately two thirds of all claims and statutory payments.
Despite this, not all occupation groups were deemed high harm overall (Table 1). Only the Labourers and Machinery operators and drivers occupation groups were high harm in 2016. This is generally because there are fewer high harm occupations in the Technicians and trades workers and Community and personal services workers groups (Table 2).
Table 1: Occupation groups with high harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation group | Harm index value1 | Number of claims | Proportion of all claims (%)2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Labourers | 295 | 20,334 | 32 |
Machinery operators and drivers | 235 | 8,384 | 13 |
| Technicians and trades workers | 141 | 12,972 | 21 |
| Community and personal services workers | 96 | 8,592 | 14 |
Total (all claims) | 100 | 63,255 | 100 |
1 Calculated using ANZSCO 3-digit results.
2 There are rounding errors in this table.
Overall there were 14 occupations that were deemed high risk in 2016 (Table 2), having a harm index that is at least twice that for all occupations. Workers in these occupations experienced the greatest harm in 2016. (Detailed results in Appendix 1.)
Table 2: High harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Harm Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,319 | 9,295 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 486 | 1,747 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 410 | 2,721 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 339 | 1,475 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 314 | 2,000 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 304 | 2,074 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 278 | 1,204 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 267 | 1,590 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 244 | 1,610 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 243 | 597 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 236 | 1,345 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | Technicians and trades workers | 214 | 614 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 203 | 496 |
Storepersons | 741 | Machinery operators and drivers | 201 | 2,166 |
The top ten improvements in harm index over the five-year period to 2016, are outlined in Table 3.
Improvements refer to relative improvements over time, so theoretically if all occupations except one were worse in 2016, the exception would show an improvement even if numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations which were deemed either medium or high harm and had at least 5003 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
All improvements in Table 3 belong to the top four high harm occupation groups, except for Checkout operators and office cashiers. Results for this occupation are anomalous and likely due to coding or classification changes in workers’ compensation data between the two Census years.
Only four of the ten occupations in Table 3 were deemed high harm in 2011. Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations accounted for 11 per cent of all claims in 2016.
Table 3: Top ten improvements in harm index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 731 | 104 | 306 | 458 | 707 | -202 |
Food process workers | 831 | 244 | 383 | 1,610 | 2,979 | -139 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 631 | 24 | 104 | 175 | 1,594 | -80 |
Machine operators | 711 | 113 | 176 | 469 | 886 | -63 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 181 | 235 | 1,437 | 1647 | -55 |
Plumbers | 334 | 131 | 168 | 544 | 682 | -37 |
Prison and security Officers | 442 | 185 | 215 | 573 | 639 | -30 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | 138 | 163 | 575 | 889 | -25 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 361 | 116 | 136 | 249 | 243 | -20 |
Farm, forestry and Garden workers | 841 | 150 | 169 | 1,135 | 1,159 | -19 |
3 This represents less than one per cent of claims.
The ten worst performers over the period are revealed in Table 4. Performance is relative over time, so similarly, if all occupations except one improved in 2016, the exception would show worse results even if their numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations which were deemed either medium or high harm with at least 500 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
All occupations in Table 4 belong to the top four high harm occupation groups. The only occupation in the table that was not deemed high harm in 2016 (and does not appear in Table 2) was Electricians. In 2011 the Harm Index for Electricians was 16 index points higher than the all occupation average and in 2016, they were deemed medium harm again with 1.43 times the all occupation average harm index (or 43 index points higher).
Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations in Table 4 accounted for more than a third of all claims in 2016, at 36 per cent.
Table 4: Top ten deteriorations in harm index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm Index value 2016 | Harm Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1,319 | 745 | 9,295 | 8,131 | 574 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 236 | 149 | 1345 | 1,284 | 87 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 410 | 330 | 2,721 | 3,303 | 80 |
Truck drivers | 733 | 314 | 254 | 2,000 | 2,365 | 60 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | 214 | 158 | 614 | 582 | 56 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 267 | 213 | 1,590 | 2,002 | 54 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 278 | 226 | 1,204 | 1,880 | 52 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 304 | 259 | 2,074 | 3,629 | 45 |
Electricians | 341 | 143 | 116 | 1,030 | 1,342 | 27 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 243 | 218 | 597 | 629 | 25 |
Labourers
Labourers recorded the highest average index value of 295 (or 2.95 times the all occupation average), while also holding the largest number of claims (32 per cent of all claims).
Almost half (44 per cent) of the Labourer occupation group were classified as high-risk occupations. These four occupations are listed in Table 5.
Table 5: Labourer occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1,319 | 745 | 9295 | 8,131 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 486 | 477 | 1,747 | 2,598 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 410 | 330 | 2,721 | 3,303 |
Food process workers | 831 | 244 | 383 | 1,610 | 2,979 |
Miscellaneous labourers was the riskiest occupation overall, both in 2011 and in 2016, with the numbers of claims rising significantly over time as well as relative risk. This occupation also had the most claims of any (9,295 or 15 per cent of all claims in 2016), and three times the number of claims of the next highest occupation (Sales assistants and salespersons with 3,111).
Miscellaneous factory process workers and Construction and mining labourers also experienced an increase in the harm index, however their claim numbers decreased. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower improvement in risk.
Despite being deemed a high-risk occupation, there was improvement in the relative harm of Food process workers. There was a decrease in both the index (from 3.83 times the all occupation average to 2.44 times), and the numbers of claims, which dropped by nearly 46 per cent over the five years to 2016 (from 2,979 to 1,610).
Machinery operators and drivers
The Machinery operators and drivers group recorded the second highest average index value of 235 (or 2.35 times the all occupation average), while also being responsible for many claims (8,384 or 13 per cent of total).
There were five occupations within the group that were deemed high harm in 2016 (Table 6). Accordingly, the heat map revealed that the Machinery operators and drivers group had more than two-thirds of the group shaded red (71 per cent or five of the seven occupations).
All five occupations worsened over the five-year period to 2016, despite a consistent drop in the numbers of claims. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower rate of improvement or a combination of both these factors.
Table 6: Machinery operators and drivers deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Truck drivers | 733 | 314 | 254 | 2,000 | 2,365 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 278 | 226 | 1,204 | 1,880 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 267 | 213 | 1590 | 2,002 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | 203 | 198 | 496 | 516 |
Store persons | 741 | 201 | 188 | 2,166 | 2,726 |
Technicians and trades workers
The heat map revealed that on average, the Technicians and trades workers group demonstrated a medium harm index level at 1.41 times the all occupation average. Despite this moderate result, four occupations within this group were deemed high harm (Table 7) and their harm indices have worsened over time.
Two high harm occupations were largely responsible for driving up the average: Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners (with a harm index of 339 or 3.39 times the all occupation average), and Fabrication engineering trades workers (304). The worst three, including Glaziers, plasterers and tilers (243), have all remained high risk over time.
Conversely, the Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers occupation was the only one of the four high harm occupations in 2016 that was deemed medium harm in 2011. This occupation was also the only one to experience an increase in claims over the five years to 2016 (5.5 per cent).
Table 7: Technicians and trades workers occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 339 | 330 | 1,475 | 1,956 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 304 | 259 | 2,074 | 3,629 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 243 | 218 | 597 | 629 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | 214 | 158 | 614 | 582 |
The four high harm occupations in Table 7 make up 19 per cent or four of 21 occupations in the Technicians and trades workers group.
Community and personal services workers
The harm index for the Community and personal services workers group was 96 or approximately average for all occupations. There was only one out of nine occupations in this group that was deemed high harm: Defence force members, fire fighters and police (Table 8). This is not a surprising result given the nature of firefighting and police work4.
Other personnel that are exposed to dangerous work, such as corrective services officers and paramedics, are in occupation categories that were assessed as medium risk of harm. For example, Prison and security officers have a harm index of 185, or nearly twice the all occupation average. Health and welfare support workers have a harm index of 180.
The harm index and numbers of claims for fire fighters and police increased by 87 points and 4.8 per cent respectively, over the five years to 2016. This result can only partially be explained by the introduction of deemed diseases legislation, which meant that prescribed occupational cancer claims by firefighters were automatically accepted from 20155.
4 Defence workers are covered by Comcare and therefore not in scope of this analysis.
5 There were approximately 14 additional deemed diseases claims on average in the 2016 results.
Table 8: Community and personal services workers at high risk of harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 236 | 149 | 1,345 | 1,284 |
Other occupations
The occupations in the table below are noteworthy despite not being categorised as high harm. This is based on significant index values and numbers of claims. The four occupations in Table 9 make up eight per cent of all claims and have a higher harm index than average.
The Health and welfare support workers occupation was deemed high harm in 2011, but significantly improved in both numbers and severity of claims over the five years to 2016. The Farm, forestry and garden workers occupation made similar improvements over time, though its harm index in 2011 was rated medium (orange). Mechanical engineering trades workers and Electricians had fewer claims in 2016, however the relative risk of severity of harm in these two occupations was higher than in 2011.
Table 9: Other noteworthy results in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 181 | 235 | 1,437 | 1,647 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 841 | 150 | 169 | 1,135 | 1,159 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 143 | 120 | 1,408 | 2,152 |
Electricians | 341 | 143 | 116 | 1,030 | 1,342 |
Serious on-duty at place of work claims (five or more days off work)
The heat map produced for serious claims (Appendix 2) revealed that high risk occupations were very similar to all finalised claims.
Likewise, the four occupation groups identified in Table 1 were of the highest harm, largely due to a high proportion of occupations in these groups deemed as high risk in 2016 (33 per cent). Examples include Miscellaneous labourers (1088 harm index), Construction and mining labourers (427), and Truck drivers (351). These three occupations also had large numbers of claims in 2016.
Almost all occupations identified as high harm in Table 2, were also assessed as being high harm when analysis was restricted to serious claims. Harm indices and numbers of claims however were different for serious claims, as expected, and are summarised in Table 10.
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers were not deemed high risk when analysing serious claims. (The harm index for this occupation was 185 or nearly twice that of all occupations in 2016.) Two other occupations were added to the high harm list for serious claims, both from the Community and personal services workers occupation group: Prison and security officers (index value 207), and Health and welfare support workers (204).
Table 10: High harm occupations, serious claims 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Harm Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,088 | 3,277 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 493 | 476 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 427 | 1,054 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 351 | 1,137 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 291 | 591 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 287 | 501 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 283 | 424 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 274 | 675 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 261 | 240 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 245 | 571 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 221 | 407 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 220 | 257 |
Storepersons | 741 | Machinery operators and drivers | 214 | 763 |
Prison and security officers | 442 | Community and personal services workers | 207 | 281 |
Health and welfare and support workers | 411 | Community and personal services workers | 204 | 711 |
It is interesting to note that, while serious claims represent 38 per cent of all finalised on-duty at place of work claims for all occupations, this percentage drops to 33 per cent for Technicians and trades workers’ claims. The highest conversion rates of claims were 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively for Community and personal services workers and Machinery operators and drivers. Labourers’ proportion of serious claims was 38 per cent.
On-duty road traffic incidents
A version of the heat map was created to investigate injuries caused by on-duty road traffic incidents (Appendix 3). These types of claims averaged only 846 in total (or approximately one per cent of all claims) over the 2016 Census period so the results must be treated with caution. The occupations with the highest risk are outlined below.
Table 11: High harm occupations, road traffic claims 2016
| Occupation sub sector | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Harm index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 2,896 | 115 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 913 | 49 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 745 | 88 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 259 | 26 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 731 | Machinery operators and drivers | 240 | 29 |
Results for on-duty road traffic incidents in Table 11 exclude all those occupations where there were 25 or fewer claims. Many high-risk occupations are in the Machinery operators and drivers group, as expected.
Delivery drivers and Miscellaneous labourers’ results worsened over the five years to 2016, where both harm indices and claim numbers increased. Truck drivers and Automobile, bus and rail drivers had mixed results, while fire fighters and police had an improvement in both claim numbers and index levels over time.
Sources: Queensland Employee Injury Database (QEIDB) (data extracted January 2018) and ABS, Censuses 2011 and 2016.
Appendix 1
Finalised claims (excluding on-duty road traffic and commuting claims)
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 31 | 33 | 151 | 213 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 4 | 6 | 32 | 59 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 11 | 7 | 157 | 159 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 24 | 27 | 119 | 151 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 49 | 51 | 188 | 279 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 116 | 94 | 115 | 151 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 116 | 136 | 249 | 243 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 14 | 61 | 70 | 163 |
Arts professionals | 146 | 187 | 145 | 150 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 104 | 306 | 458 | 707 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 128 | 123 | 1,113 | 1,324 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 339 | 330 | 1,475 | 1,956 |
Building and engineering technicians | 48 | 53 | 316 | 495 |
Business administration managers | 17 | 17 | 81 | 118 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 2 | 2 | 15 | 19 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 10 | 19 | 78 | 162 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 24 | 104 | 175 | 1,594 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 57 | 51 | 201 | 258 |
Child carers | 52 | 59 | 811 | 709 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 111 | 127 | 2,108 | 2,571 |
Clerical and office support workers | 34 | 30 | 182 | 239 |
Construction and mining labourers | 410 | 330 | 2,721 | 3,303 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 30 | 30 | 303 | 455 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 9 | 13 | 79 | 113 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 3 | 9 | 9 | 19 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 236 | 149 | 1,345 | 1,284 |
Delivery drivers | 203 | 198 | 496 | 516 |
Education aides | 41 | 40 | 633 | 653 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 44 | 42 | 187 | 155 |
Electricians | 143 | 116 | 1,030 | 1,342 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 87 | 69 | 470 | 689 |
Engineering professionals | 32 | 36 | 202 | 325 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 304 | 259 | 2,074 | 3,629 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 150 | 169 | 1,135 | 1,159 |
Farmers and farm managers | 66 | 83 | 139 | 239 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 21 | 20 | 100 | 164 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 3 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 201 | 188 | 257 | 327 |
Food preparation assistants | 51 | 56 | 1,124 | 1,226 |
Food process workers | 244 | 383 | 1,610 | 2,979 |
Food trades workers | 81 | 89 | 1,275 | 1,570 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 56 | 121 | 306 | 446 |
General clerks | 68 | 57 | 1,118 | 1,323 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 243 | 218 | 597 | 629 |
Hairdressers | 28 | 193 | 71 | 185 |
Health and welfare support workers | 180 | 235 | 1,437 | 1,647 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 33 | 46 | 160 | 206 |
Health therapy professionals | 19 | 18 | 81 | 81 |
Horticultural trades workers | 138 | 163 | 575 | 889 |
Hospitality workers | 32 | 6 | 975 | 1,382 |
Human resource and training professionals | 28 | 22 | 76 | 133 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 22 | 17 | 68 | 66 |
ICT managers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
ICT network and support professionals | 6 | 4 | 15 | 20 |
Information and organisation professionals | 21 | 15 | 104 | 135 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 47 | 60 | 213 | 367 |
Keyboard operators | 13 | 13 | 39 | 63 |
Legal professionals | 11 | 11 | 24 | 23 |
Logistics clerks | 36 | 38 | 320 | 453 |
Machine operators | 113 | 176 | 469 | 886 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 143 | 120 | 1,408 | 2,152 |
Media professionals | 18 | 17 | 32 | 47 |
Medical practitioners | 14 | 23 | 101 | 120 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 67 | 57 | 1,166 | 1,112 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 31 | 31 | 224 | 266 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 20 | 18 | 63 | 54 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 486 | 477 | 1,747 | 2,598 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 35 | 47 | 307 | 456 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1,319 | 745 | 9,295 | 8,131 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 26 | 72 | 95 | 340 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 64 | 65 | 209 | 298 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 214 | 158 | 614 | 582 |
Mobile plant operators | 267 | 213 | 1,590 | 2,002 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 33 | 34 | 233 | 300 |
Office and practice managers | 16 | 18 | 93 | 133 |
Packers and product assemblers | 42 | 94 | 288 | 868 |
Panel beaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 109 | 96 | 222 | 371 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 9 | 15 | 68 | 121 |
Personal carers and assistants | 97 | 105 | 2,240 | 2,268 |
personal service and travel workers | 55 | 54 | 251 | 263 |
Plumbers | 131 | 168 | 544 | 682 |
Printing trades workers | 72 | 72 | 84 | 129 |
Prison and security officers | 185 | 215 | 573 | 639 |
Real estate sales agents | 14 | 18 | 73 | 76 |
Receptionists | 12 | 14 | 144 | 210 |
Retail managers | 15 | 16 | 179 | 279 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 51 | 36 | 3,111 | 2,779 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 13 | 12 | 82 | 114 |
School teachers | 57 | 67 | 1,804 | 1,821 |
Social and welfare professionals | 40 | 36 | 196 | 209 |
Sports and fitness workers | 139 | 122 | 327 | 382 |
Stationary plant operators | 278 | 226 | 1,204 | 1,880 |
Storepersons | 201 | 188 | 2,166 | 2,726 |
Tertiary education teachers | 19 | 26 | 88 | 122 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 57 | 44 | 25 | 59 |
Truck drivers | 314 | 254 | 2,000 | 2,365 |
Wood trades workers | 146 | 144 | 316 | 392 |
Appendix 2
Serious claims, excluding road traffic incidents
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 34 | 37 | 63 | 81 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 5 | 5 | 12 | 16 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 12 | 6 | 54 | 48 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 27 | 22 | 44 | 46 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 51 | 52 | 70 | 76 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 123 | 89 | 56 | 61 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 128 | 150 | 90 | 81 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 15 | 70 | 21 | 70 |
Arts professionals | 151 | 209 | 45 | 41 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 110 | 339 | 199 | 344 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 118 | 118 | 336 | 352 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 291 | 277 | 591 | 735 |
Building and engineering technicians | 48 | 48 | 99 | 146 |
Business administration managers | 18 | 18 | 30 | 33 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 11 | 20 | 35 | 57 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 26 | 102 | 69 | 472 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 59 | 53 | 72 | 75 |
Child carers | 57 | 65 | 353 | 298 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 124 | 141 | 1,092 | 1,221 |
Clerical and office support workers | 37 | 33 | 73 | 102 |
Construction and mining labourers | 427 | 350 | 1,054 | 1,122 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 28 | 28 | 91 | 115 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 10 | 14 | 28 | 37 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 221 | 157 | 407 | 314 |
Delivery drivers | 220 | 222 | 257 | 253 |
Education aides | 42 | 40 | 219 | 201 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 46 | 40 | 71 | 53 |
Electricians | 132 | 96 | 314 | 321 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 92 | 70 | 147 | 164 |
Engineering professionals | 31 | 30 | 60 | 89 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 287 | 227 | 501 | 690 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 166 | 176 | 539 | 586 |
Farmers and farm managers | 68 | 90 | 69 | 122 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 21 | 20 | 33 | 59 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 3 | 12 | 4 | 8 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 184 | 189 | 141 | 152 |
Food preparation assistants | 56 | 61 | 425 | 458 |
Food process workers | 245 | 385 | 571 | 909 |
Food trades workers | 88 | 96 | 504 | 547 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 50 | 104 | 121 | 182 |
General clerks | 73 | 54 | 420 | 426 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 261 | 223 | 240 | 238 |
Hairdressers | 32 | 221 | 37 | 107 |
Health and welfare support workers | 204 | 260 | 711 | 762 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 35 | 42 | 54 | 74 |
Health therapy professionals | 20 | 19 | 29 | 25 |
Horticultural trades workers | 154 | 176 | 255 | 364 |
Hospitality workers | 34 | 65 | 377 | 503 |
Human resource and training professionals | 31 | 23 | 31 | 40 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 24 | 18 | 24 | 21 |
ICT managers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
ICT network and support professionals | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Information and organisation professionals | 23 | 16 | 38 | 44 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 47 | 65 | 94 | 147 |
Keyboard operators | 14 | 14 | 15 | 24 |
Legal professionals | 11 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
Logistics clerks | 38 | 36 | 113 | 143 |
Machine operators | 120 | 187 | 158 | 277 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 133 | 107 | 378 | 458 |
Media professionals | 18 | 11 | 9 | 12 |
Medical practitioners | 15 | 26 | 36 | 38 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 76 | 64 | 543 | 478 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 33 | 33 | 86 | 88 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 21 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 493 | 462 | 476 | 623 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 37 | 47 | 115 | 154 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1,088 | 551 | 3,277 | 2,484 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 27 | 76 | 38 | 99 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 63 | 65 | 66 | 80 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 185 | 156 | 193 | 171 |
Mobile plant operators | 274 | 221 | 675 | 817 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 33 | 31 | 81 | 86 |
Office and practice managers | 17 | 20 | 39 | 48 |
Packers and product assemblers | 43 | 99 | 101 | 280 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 101 | 96 | 65 | 82 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 10 | 15 | 25 | 39 |
Personal carers and assistants | 109 | 118 | 1,165 | 1,136 |
Personal service and travel workers | 61 | 60 | 123 | 120 |
Plumbers | 135 | 163 | 195 | 227 |
Printing trades workers | 68 | 73 | 33 | 38 |
Prison and security officers | 207 | 213 | 281 | 300 |
Real estate sales agents | 15 | 18 | 31 | 29 |
Receptionists | 13 | 15 | 54 | 73 |
Retail managers | 16 | 17 | 78 | 101 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 54 | 36 | 1,148 | 864 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 14 | 10 | 30 | 31 |
School teachers | 59 | 69 | 570 | 566 |
Social and welfare professionals | 45 | 38 | 94 | 84 |
Sports and fitness workers | 145 | 133 | 178 | 175 |
Stationary plant operators | 283 | 223 | 424 | 492 |
Storepersons | 214 | 193 | 763 | 821 |
Tertiary education teachers | 21 | 26 | 34 | 36 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 61 | 47 | 8 | 19 |
Tuck drivers | 351 | 282 | 1,137 | 1,201 |
Wood trades workers | 161 | 159 | 118 | 138 |
Appendix 3
On-duty road traffic incidents only
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 10 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 13 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 14 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 64 | 53 | 10 | 19 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 62 | 23 | 3 | 4 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 48 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 0 | 50 | 1 | 6 |
Arts professionals | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 240 | 2,839 | 29 | 69 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 175 | 123 | 15 | 16 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 34 | 13 | 7 | 6 |
Building and engineering technicians | 90 | 64 | 10 | 15 |
Business administration managers | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 229 | 32 | 7 | 9 |
Child carers | 84 | 80 | 6 | 7 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 34 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Clerical and office support workers | 231 | 324 | 12 | 27 |
Construction and mining labourers | 169 | 127 | 14 | 20 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 7 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 16 | 27 | 4 | 7 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 34 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 259 | 237 | 26 | 39 |
Delivery drivers | 913 | 553 | 49 | 33 |
Education aides | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 15 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Electricians | 126 | 58 | 12 | 19 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 141 | 46 | 9 | 7 |
Engineering professionals | 41 | 48 | 5 | 6 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 30 | 31 | 3 | 6 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 86 | 175 | 10 | 10 |
Farmers and farm managers | 43 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 1 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 295 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Food preparation assistants | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Food process workers | 31 | 122 | 3 | 8 |
Food trades workers | 41 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 33 | 302 | 2 | 8 |
General clerks | 12 | 29 | 15 | 35 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 7 | 27 | 2 | 4 |
Hairdressers | 2 | 420 | 1 | 10 |
Health and welfare support workers | 154 | 136 | 50 | 54 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 1 | 95 | 0 | 8 |
Health therapy professionals | 9 | 18 | 5 | 6 |
Horticultural trades workers | 28 | 10 | 3 | 8 |
Hospitality workers | 4 | 28 | 3 | 7 |
Human resource and training professionals | 22 | 18 | 5 | 9 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 60 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
ICT network and support professionals | 1 | 16 | 1 | 2 |
Information and organisation professionals | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 89 | 102 | 6 | 31 |
Keyboard operators | 162 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
Legal professionals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Logistics clerks | 16 | 131 | 3 | 5 |
Machine operators | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 126 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
Media professionals | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Medical practitioners | 35 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 22 | 17 | 13 | 14 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 23 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 8 | 107 | 1 | 2 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 84 | 43 | 6 | 9 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 38 | 34 | 6 | 13 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 745 | 266 | 88 | 80 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 31 | 39 | 3 | 5 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 39 | 214 | 8 | 11 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 17 | 50 | 6 | 8 |
Mobile plant operators | 116 | 68 | 13 | 15 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 37 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
Office and practice managers | 4 | 16 | 3 | 6 |
Packers and product assemblers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
Personal carers and assistants | 53 | 22 | 40 | 31 |
Personal service and travel workers | 55 | 18 | 4 | 6 |
Plumbers | 62 | 70 | 5 | 7 |
Printing trades workers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Prison and security officers | 154 | 130 | 7 | 12 |
Real estate sales agents | 90 | 71 | 9 | 10 |
Receptionists | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Retail managers | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 14 | 6 | 21 | 20 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 113 | 148 | 7 | 11 |
School teachers | 2 | 10 | 7 | 13 |
Social and welfare professionals | 45 | 40 | 10 | 12 |
Sports and fitness workers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Stationary plant operators | 211 | 82 | 7 | 9 |
Storepersons | 32 | 45 | 8 | 9 |
Tertiary education teachers | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Truck drivers | 2,896 | 1,378 | 115 | 125 |
Wood trades workers | 10 | 31 | 1 | 3 |
Results
Harm index analysis for on-duty at place of work claims revealed the occupation groups with the highest index level occupations were:
- Labourers
- Machinery operators and drivers
- Technicians and trades workers
- Community and personal services workers
These four occupation groups represent half of the eight categories, yet their claim numbers account for 79 per cent of all in scope claims. It is a similar result for statutory payments, with these four occupation groups accounting for 80 per cent of the total. Further, the first three groups represent approximately two thirds of all claims and statutory payments.
Despite this, not all occupation groups were deemed high harm overall (Table 1). Only the Labourers group was high harm in 2016. This is generally because there are relatively risker occupations in the Labourers group. Refer to Table 2.
Table 1: Occupation groups with high harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation group | Index value1 | Number of claims | Proportion of all claims (%)2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Labourers | 320 | 10,430 | 33 |
Machinery operators and drivers | 195 | 3,453 | 11 |
Technicians and trades workers | 138 | 6,252 | 20 |
Community and personal services workers | 96 | 4,811 | 15 |
Total (all claims) | 100 | 31,684 | 100 |
1 Calculated using ANZSCO 3-digit results.
2 There are rounding errors in this table.
Overall there were 12 occupations that were deemed high risk in 2016 (Table 2), having a harm index that is more than twice that for all occupations. Workers in these occupations had the highest risk of severe harm in 2016. (Detailed results in Appendix 1.)
Table 2: High harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,653 | 5,057 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 484 | 846 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 481 | 1,455 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 403 | 910 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 346 | 382 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 333 | 361 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | Technicians and trades workers | 312 | 135 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 290 | 828 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 278 | 864 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 253 | 832 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 237 | 654 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | Technicians and trades workers | 213 | 300 |
The top ten improvements in harm index over the five-year period to 2016, are outlined in Table 3.
Improvements refer to relative improvements over time, so theoretically if all occupations except one were worse in 2016, the exception would show an improvement even if numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations, which were deemed either medium or high harm and had at least 3003 claims in 2011, were included in the analysis.
3 This represents less than one per cent of claims.
All improvements in Table 3 belong to the top three high harm occupation groups. Six of the ten occupations in Table 3 were deemed high harm in 2011. Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations accounted for 19 per cent of all claims in 2016.
Table 3: Top ten improvements in Harm Index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm Index value 2016 | Harm Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm Index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 484 | 601 | 846 | 1,021 | -117 |
Plumbers | 334 | 143 | 215 | 293 | 336 | -72 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 253 | 320 | 832 | 1332 | -67 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | 118 | 182 | 277 | 413 | -64 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 403 | 461 | 910 | 1,216 | -58 |
Food process workers | 831 | 194 | 249 | 729 | 980 | -55 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 333 | 388 | 361 | 333 | -55 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 841 | 141 | 187 | 439 | 416 | -46 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 811 | 107 | 144 | 979 | 1,169 | -37 |
Machine operators | 711 | 88 | 119 | 215 | 364 | -31 |
The ten worst performers over the period are revealed in Table 4. Performance is relative over time, so similarly, if all occupations except one improved in 2016, the exception would show worse results even if their numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations, which were deemed either medium or high harm with at least 300 claims in 2011, were included in the analysis.
Six occupations in Table 4 belong to the top four high harm occupation groups. The only occupations in the table that were not deemed high harm in 2016 (and do not appear in Table 2), were the last four occupations in the table: Electricians, Mechanical engineering trades workers, Storepersons, and Automotive electricians and mechanics. In 2011 and 2016 the Harm Indices for all four occupations were deemed medium harm.
Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations in Table 4 account for more than a third of all claims in 2016, at 37 per cent.
Table 4: Top ten deteriorations in harm index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1,653 | 1,046 | 5,057 | 4,066 | 607 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 290 | 180 | 828 | 709 | 110 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 346 | 258 | 382 | 519 | 88 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 481 | 436 | 1,455 | 1,557 | 45 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 237 | 199 | 654 | 814 | 38 |
Truck drivers | 733 | 278 | 258 | 864 | 992 | 20 |
Electricians | 341 | 170 | 150 | 541 | 651 | 20 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 138 | 124 | 549 | 767 | 14 |
Storepersons | 741 | 145 | 135 | 898 | 1,105 | 10 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 321 | 122 | 113 | 482 | 555 | 9 |
Labourers
Labourers recorded the highest average index value of 320 (or 3.2 times the all occupation average), while also holding the largest number of claims, (33 per cent).
A third (33 per cent) of the Labourer occupation group comprised high risk occupations. These three occupations are listed in Table 5.
Table 5: Labourer occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1,653 | 1,046 | 5,057 | 4,066 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 481 | 436 | 1,455 | 1,557 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 403 | 461 | 910 | 1,216 |
Miscellaneous labourers was the riskiest occupation overall, both in 2011 and in 2016, with the numbers of claims rising significantly over time as well as relative risk. This occupation also had the most claims of any (5,057 or 16% of all claims in 2016), and three and a half times the number of claims of the next highest occupation (Construction and mining labourers with 1,455).
Construction and mining labourers also experienced an increase in the harm index, however their claim numbers decreased. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower improvement in risk.
Despite being deemed a high-risk occupation, there was improvement in the relative harm of Miscellaneous factory process workers. There was a decrease in both the index (from 4.61 times the all occupation average to 4.03 times), and the numbers of claims, which dropped by a quarter (25 per cent) over the five years to 2016 (from 1,216 to 910).
Machinery operators and drivers
Machinery operators and drivers recorded the second highest average index value of 195 (or 1.95 times the all occupation average), while also holding many claims (3,453 or 11 per cent of total).
There were three occupations within the Machinery operators and drivers group that were deemed high harm in 2016 (Table 6). Accordingly, the heat map revealed that the Machinery operators and drivers group had nearly half the occupations shaded red (43 per cent or three of the seven occupations).
All three occupations worsened over the five-year period to 2016, despite a consistent drop in the numbers of claims. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower rate of improvement or a combination of both these factors.
Table 6: Machinery operators and drivers deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 346 | 258 | 382 | 519 |
Truck drivers | 733 | 278 | 258 | 864 | 992 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 237 | 199 | 654 | 814 |
Technicians and trades workers
The heat map revealed that on average, the Technicians and trades workers groupdemonstrated a medium harm index level at 1.38 times the all occupation average. Despite this moderate result, five occupations within this group of 21 were deemed high harm (Table 7) although harm indices for the five have mostly improved over time.
The exception was the Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers occupation, which was deemed medium harm in 2011. This occupation was also one of two to experience an increase in claims over the five years to 2016 (24.0 per cent). The other one was Glaziers, plasterers and tilers, with an 8.4 per cent increase in claims over the period.
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners (with a harm index of 484 or 4.84 times the all occupation average), were largely responsible for driving up the result for the occupation group. All high harm occupations have remained high risk over time, except for Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers.
Table 7: Technicians and trades workers occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 484 | 601 | 846 | 1,021 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 333 | 388 | 361 | 333 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | 312 | 343 | 135 | 139 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 253 | 320 | 832 | 1,332 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | 213 | 115 | 300 | 242 |
Community and personal services workers
The harm index for the Community and personal services workers group was 96 or approximately average for all occupations. There was only one out of nine occupations in this group that was deemed high harm: Defence force members, fire fighters and police (Table 8). This is not a surprising result given the nature of firefighting and police work.
Other personnel that are exposed to dangerous work, such as those in corrective services and paramedics, are in occupation categories that were assessed as medium risk of harm. For example Prison and security officers have a harm index of 157, or more than one and a half times the all occupation average. Health and welfare support workers have a harm index of 176.
The harm index and numbers of claims for fire fighters and police increased by 110 points and 16.8 per cent respectively, over the five years to 2016. This result can only be partially explained by the introduction of deemed diseases legislation, which meant that certain occupational cancer claims for firefighters were automatically accepted from 20154.
4 There were approximately 14 additional deemed diseases claims on average for all of Queensland in the 2016 results.
Table 8: Community and personal services workers at high risk of harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 290 | 180 | 828 | 709 |
Other occupations
The occupations in the table below are noteworthy despite not being categorised as high harm. This is based on significant index values and numbers of claims. The three occupations in Table 9 make up seven per cent of all claims and have a higher harm index than average.
Food process workers were deemed high harm in 2011, but significantly improved in both numbers and severity of claims over the five years to 2016. The Health and welfare support workers occupation made similar improvements, although its claim numbers have increased by 2.9 per cent. Electricians had fewer claims in 2016, however the relative risk of severity of harm in this occupation was higher than in 2011.
Table 9: Other noteworthy results in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Food process workers | 831 | 194 | 249 | 729 | 980 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 176 | 185 | 782 | 760 |
Electricians | 341 | 170 | 150 | 541 | 651 |
Serious on-duty at place of work claims (5 or more days off work)
The heat map produced for serious claims (Appendix 2) revealed that high risk occupations were very similar to all finalised claims.
Likewise, the four occupation groups identified in Table 1 were of the highest harm, largely due to a high proportion of occupations in these groups deemed as high risk in 2016 (37 per cent). Examples include Miscellaneous labourers (1227 harm index), Construction and mining labourers (512), and Truck drivers (329). These three occupations also had large numbers of claims in 2016.
Almost all occupations identified as high harm in Table 2, were also assessed as being high harm when analysis was restricted to serious claims only. Harm indices and numbers of claims however were different, as expected, and are summarised in Table 10.
Using serious claims, Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers was deemed medium risk at 179 or nearly twice that of all occupations in 2016. Two other occupations were added to the high harm list for serious claims, one from the Community and personal services workers occupation group; Health and welfare support workers (index value 215) and the other from the Labourers occupation group; Food process workers (210).
Table 10: High harm occupations, serious claims 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,227 | 1,748 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 512 | 537 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 418 | 248 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 373 | 325 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 366 | 138 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 363 | 128 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 329 | 473 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | Technicians and trades workers | 278 | 78 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 269 | 240 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 262 | 272 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 239 | 191 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | Community and personal services workers | 215 | 380 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 210 | 250 |
It is interesting to note that, while serious claims represent 38 per cent of all finalised on-duty at place of work claims for all occupations, this percentage drops to 33 per cent for Technicians and trades workers’ claims. The highest conversion rates to serious claims were 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively for Community and personal services workers and Machinery operators and drivers. Labourers’ proportion of serious claims was 36 per cent.
Sources: Queensland Employee Injury Database (QEIDB) (data extracted January 2018) and ABS, Censuses 2011 and 2016.
Appendix 1
Finalised claims (excluding on-duty road traffic and commuting claims)
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 20 | 30 | 71 | 100 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 4 | 5 | 19 | 38 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 7 | 8 | 83 | 94 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 17 | 23 | 59 | 70 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 39 | 39 | 112 | 156 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 74 | 78 | 59 | 65 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 86 | 114 | 106 | 101 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 7 | 11 | 34 | 52 |
Arts professionals | 140 | 106 | 82 | 76 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 69 | 121 | 195 | 258 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 122 | 113 | 482 | 555 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 484 | 601 | 846 | 1,021 |
Building and engineering technicians | 32 | 52 | 143 | 220 |
Business administration managers | 14 | 13 | 50 | 67 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 8 | 18 | 43 | 94 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 17 | 85 | 79 | 664 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 46 | 27 | 100 | 123 |
Child carers | 49 | 41 | 477 | 346 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 107 | 144 | 979 | 1169 |
Clerical and office support workers | 26 | 33 | 99 | 138 |
Construction and mining labourers | 481 | 436 | 1,455 | 1,557 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 28 | 29 | 146 | 209 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 6 | 12 | 47 | 76 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 3 | 9 | 6 | 13 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 290 | 180 | 828 | 709 |
Delivery drivers | 162 | 186 | 245 | 250 |
Education aides | 41 | 42 | 311 | 320 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 45 | 44 | 111 | 79 |
Electricians | 170 | 150 | 541 | 651 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 92 | 60 | 255 | 333 |
Engineering professionals | 18 | 16 | 95 | 142 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 253 | 320 | 832 | 1332 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 141 | 187 | 439 | 416 |
Farmers and farm managers | 66 | 66 | 35 | 55 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 14 | 17 | 59 | 104 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 312 | 343 | 135 | 139 |
Food preparation assistants | 43 | 57 | 592 | 594 |
Food process workers | 194 | 249 | 729 | 980 |
Food trades workers | 57 | 86 | 599 | 702 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 55 | 161 | 146 | 240 |
General clerks | 68 | 62 | 714 | 729 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 388 | 361 | 333 |
Hairdressers | 31 | 27 | 44 | 51 |
Health and welfare support workers | 176 | 185 | 782 | 760 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 29 | 36 | 96 | 106 |
Health therapy professionals | 20 | 22 | 50 | 48 |
Horticultural trades workers | 118 | 182 | 277 | 413 |
Hospitality workers | 28 | 41 | 484 | 638 |
Human resource and training professionals | 14 | 15 | 39 | 72 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 19 | 15 | 43 | 44 |
ICT managers | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
ICT network and support professionals | 5 | 4 | 9 | 15 |
Information and organisation professionals | 15 | 13 | 58 | 76 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 29 | 25 | 89 | 139 |
Keyboard operators | 9 | 14 | 25 | 41 |
Legal professionals | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 |
Logistics clerks | 22 | 29 | 153 | 201 |
Machine operators | 88 | 119 | 215 | 364 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 138 | 124 | 549 | 767 |
Media professionals | 16 | 7 | 18 | 21 |
Medical practitioners | 13 | 16 | 66 | 67 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 67 | 55 | 738 | 620 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 23 | 19 | 112 | 118 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 18 | 15 | 36 | 26 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 403 | 461 | 910 | 1,216 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 25 | 46 | 148 | 228 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1,653 | 1,046 | 5,057 | 4,066 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 26 | 44 | 54 | 146 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 49 | 53 | 97 | 134 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 213 | 115 | 300 | 242 |
Mobile plant operators | 237 | 199 | 654 | 814 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 27 | 27 | 121 | 137 |
Office and practice managers | 9 | 22 | 53 | 73 |
Packers and product assemblers | 37 | 84 | 124 | 360 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 108 | 112 | 102 | 191 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 8 | 14 | 40 | 76 |
Personal carers and assistants | 103 | 117 | 1,316 | 1,231 |
Personal service and travel workers | 55 | 40 | 157 | 140 |
Plumbers | 143 | 215 | 293 | 336 |
Printing trades workers | 60 | 66 | 52 | 82 |
Prison and security officers | 157 | 178 | 290 | 301 |
Real estate sales agents | 14 | 17 | 40 | 36 |
Receptionists | 11 | 13 | 83 | 117 |
Retail managers | 10 | 12 | 83 | 120 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 37 | 32 | 1,379 | 1,282 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 8 | 9 | 39 | 60 |
School teachers | 56 | 53 | 931 | 866 |
Social and welfare professionals | 31 | 37 | 107 | 97 |
Sports and fitness workers | 124 | 108 | 165 | 164 |
Stationary plant operators | 346 | 258 | 382 | 519 |
Storepersons | 145 | 135 | 898 | 1,105 |
Tertiary education teachers | 16 | 18 | 46 | 63 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 53 | 29 | 14 | 33 |
Truck drivers | 278 | 258 | 864 | 992 |
Wood trades workers | 126 | 135 | 165 | 196 |
Appendix 2
Serious claims, excluding road traffic incidents
Legend
| Index value: | |
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 22 | 37 | 28 | 37 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 5 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 8 | 8 | 26 | 31 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 20 | 18 | 22 | 20 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 43 | 44 | 40 | 39 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 88 | 82 | 26 | 22 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 102 | 142 | 35 | 32 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 7 | 13 | 8 | 16 |
Arts professionals | 162 | 118 | 25 | 23 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 80 | 135 | 95 | 115 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 110 | 104 | 147 | 147 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 373 | 439 | 325 | 358 |
Building and engineering technicians | 34 | 43 | 44 | 62 |
Business administration managers | 16 | 15 | 18 | 20 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 9 | 21 | 19 | 34 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 19 | 91 | 34 | 181 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 50 | 29 | 36 | 33 |
Child carers | 57 | 49 | 204 | 136 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 128 | 173 | 510 | 553 |
Clerical and office support workers | 30 | 41 | 36 | 59 |
Construction and mining labourers | 512 | 481 | 537 | 488 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 27 | 27 | 44 | 48 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 7 | 14 | 15 | 23 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 269 | 208 | 240 | 162 |
Delivery drivers | 178 | 230 | 123 | 117 |
Education aides | 46 | 47 | 110 | 101 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 50 | 40 | 43 | 26 |
Electricians | 140 | 106 | 154 | 152 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 107 | 65 | 73 | 73 |
Engineering professionals | 16 | 16 | 23 | 35 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 239 | 267 | 191 | 273 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 161 | 202 | 193 | 194 |
Farmers and farm managers | 78 | 59 | 15 | 21 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 16 | 20 | 19 | 34 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 278 | 321 | 78 | 67 |
Food preparation assistants | 49 | 69 | 213 | 221 |
Food process workers | 210 | 283 | 250 | 290 |
Food trades workers | 67 | 103 | 229 | 243 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 46 | 125 | 57 | 93 |
General clerks | 79 | 61 | 268 | 231 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 366 | 419 | 138 | 124 |
Hairdressers | 38 | 34 | 22 | 22 |
Health and welfare support workers | 215 | 229 | 380 | 346 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 34 | 28 | 29 | 33 |
Health therapy professionals | 24 | 26 | 20 | 15 |
Horticultural trades workers | 138 | 219 | 116 | 168 |
Hospitality workers | 33 | 48 | 184 | 220 |
Human resource and training professionals | 17 | 17 | 15 | 25 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 23 | 17 | 18 | 13 |
ICT managers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
ICT network and support professionals | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Information and organisation professionals | 18 | 15 | 22 | 24 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 26 | 27 | 37 | 44 |
Keyboard operators | 10 | 16 | 9 | 17 |
Legal professionals | 12 | 15 | 6 | 4 |
Logistics clerks | 24 | 27 | 53 | 60 |
Machine operators | 98 | 125 | 76 | 109 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 113 | 106 | 134 | 159 |
Media professionals | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Medical practitioners | 15 | 18 | 25 | 19 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 82 | 67 | 332 | 264 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 27 | 21 | 43 | 35 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 21 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 418 | 476 | 248 | 285 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 29 | 49 | 53 | 73 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1,227 | 642 | 1,748 | 1,155 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 31 | 46 | 24 | 38 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 49 | 60 | 29 | 36 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 179 | 101 | 92 | 68 |
Mobile plant operators | 262 | 227 | 272 | 310 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 27 | 24 | 44 | 37 |
Office and practice managers | 10 | 27 | 20 | 27 |
Packers and product assemblers | 42 | 100 | 46 | 123 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and Painters | 97 | 125 | 32 | 45 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 8 | 17 | 14 | 25 |
Personal carers and assistants | 124 | 143 | 679 | 601 |
Personal service and travel workers | 66 | 49 | 72 | 59 |
Plumbers | 166 | 219 | 102 | 108 |
Printing trades workers | 55 | 72 | 18 | 25 |
Prison and security officers | 186 | 202 | 142 | 133 |
Real estate sales agents | 16 | 18 | 17 | 14 |
Receptionists | 12 | 15 | 30 | 41 |
Retail managers | 12 | 15 | 36 | 43 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 42 | 34 | 495 | 379 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 9 | 9 | 15 | 17 |
School teachers | 61 | 57 | 285 | 259 |
Social and welfare professionals | 37 | 43 | 50 | 40 |
Sports and fitness workers | 138 | 129 | 86 | 77 |
Stationary plant operators | 363 | 261 | 128 | 123 |
Storepersons | 171 | 154 | 333 | 330 |
Tertiary education teachers | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 60 | 33 | 5 | 10 |
Truck drivers | 329 | 308 | 473 | 471 |
Wood trades workers | 148 | 162 | 61 | 62 |
Results
Harm index analysis for on-duty at place of work claims revealed the occupation groups with the highest index level occupations were:
- Labourers
- Machinery operators and drivers
- Technicians and trades workers
These three occupation groups represent fewer than half of the eight categories, yet their claim numbers and statutory payments account for 69 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, of all in scope claims.
Despite this, not all occupation groups were deemed high harm overall (Table 1). Only the Labourers and Machinery operators and drivers groups were high harm in 2016. This is generally because there are relatively risker occupations in these groups. Refer to Table 2.
Table 1: Occupation groups with high harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation group | Index value1 | Number of claims | Proportion of all claims (%)2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Labourers | 268 | 3,017 | 30 |
Machinery operators and drivers | 259 | 1,773 | 18 |
Technicians and trades workers | 138 | 2,175 | 22 |
Total (all claims) | 100 | 10,049 | 100 |
1 Calculated using ANZSCO 3-digit results.
2 There are rounding errors in this table..
Overall there were 13 occupations that were deemed high risk in 2016 (Table 2), having a harm index that is more than twice that for all occupations. Workers in these occupations had the highest risk of severe harm in 2016. (Detailed results in Appendix 1.)
Table 2: High harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 873 | 1,287 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 650 | 440 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 480 | 143 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 464 | 153 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 396 | 51 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 352 | 389 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | Technicians and trades workers | 329 | 40 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 300 | 400 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 286 | 571 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 279 | 352 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 257 | 71 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | Technicians and trades workers | 247 | 116 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 243 | 177 |
The top ten improvements in harm index over the five-year period to 2016, are outlined in Table 3.
Improvements refer to relative improvements over time, so theoretically if all occupations except one were worse in 2016, the exception would show an improvement even if numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations, which were deemed either medium or high harm and had at least 1003 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
3 This represents less than one per cent of claims.
Most improvements in Table 3 belong to the top three high harm occupation groups. Only three of the ten occupations in Table 3 were deemed high harm in 2011. Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations accounted for 18 per cent of all claims in 2016.
Table 3: Top ten improvements in Harm Index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plumbers | 334 | 141 | 361 | 84 | 128 | -220 |
Food process workers | 831 | 243 | 394 | 177 | 402 | -151 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | 96 | 216 | 93 | 161 | -120 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 631 | 40 | 134 | 30 | 300 | -94 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 731 | 149 | 196 | 140 | 160 | -47 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 811 | 93 | 134 | 385 | 518 | -41 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 841 | 162 | 196 | 334 | 351 | -34 |
Prison and security officers | 442 | 143 | 175 | 93 | 102 | -32 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 321 | 108 | 132 | 177 | 235 | -24 |
Personal carers and assistants | 423 | 90 | 109 | 307 | 321 | 90 |
The ten worst performers over the period are revealed in Table 4. Performance is relative over time, so similarly, if all occupations except one improved in 2016, the exception would show worse results even if their numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations which were deemed either medium or high harm with at least 100 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
All occupations in Table 4 belong to the top three high harm occupation groups. The only occupations in the table that were not deemed high harm in 2016 (and do not appear in Table 2) were the last three occupations in the table: Electricians, Mechanical engineering trades workers; and Storepersons. In 2011 and 2016 the Harm Indices for all three occupations were deemed medium harm.
Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations in Table 4 account for more than a third of all claims in 2016, at 37 per cent.
Table 4: Top ten deteriorations in harm index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm Index value 2016 | Harm Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm Index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 650 | 389 | 440 | 666 | 261 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 873 | 698 | 1287 | 1410 | 175 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 480 | 333 | 143 | 245 | 147 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 464 | 363 | 153 | 245 | 101 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 396 | 296 | 51 | 73 | 100 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 300 | 242 | 400 | 820 | 58 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 352 | 332 | 389 | 505 | 20 |
Electricians | 341 | 116 | 104 | 180 | 273 | 12 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 137 | 126 | 435 | 698 | 11 |
Storepersons | 741 | 152 | 142 | 197 | 299 | 10 |
Labourers
Labourers recorded the highest average index value of 268 (or 2.68 times the all occupation average), while also holding the largest number of claims (30 per cent).
Almost half (44 per cent) of the Labourer occupation group comprised high risk occupations. These four occupations are listed in Table 5.
Table 5: Labourer occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 873 | 698 | 1,287 | 1,410 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 650 | 389 | 440 | 666 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 464 | 363 | 153 | 245 |
Food process workers | 831 | 243 | 394 | 177 | 402 |
Miscellaneous labourers were the riskiest occupation overall, both in 2011 and in 2016, although the numbers of claims dropped over time, counter to relative risk. This occupation also had the most claims of any (1,287 or 13 per cent of all claims in 2016), and more than twice the number of claims of the next highest occupation (Stationary plant operators with 571).
Construction and mining labourers and Miscellaneous factory workers also experienced an increase in the harm index, however their claim numbers decreased. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower improvement in risk.
Despite being deemed a high-risk occupation, there was improvement in the relative harm of Food process workers. There was a decrease in both the index (from 3.94 times the all occupation average to 2.43 times), and the numbers of claims, which dropped by more than half (56 per cent) over the five years to 2016 (from 402 to 177).
Machinery operators and drivers
Machinery operators and drivers recorded the second highest average index value of 259 (or 2.59 times the all occupation average), while also holding many claims (1,773 or 18 per cent of total).
There were four occupations within the Machinery operators and drivers group that were deemed high harm in 2016 (Table 6). Accordingly, the heat map revealed that the Machinery operators and drivers group had more than half the occupations shaded red (57 per cent or four of the seven occupations).
Three of the occupations worsened over the five-year period to 2016, despite a consistent drop in the numbers of claims. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower rate of improvement or a combination of both these factors. The only occupation that improved both in harm index and claim numbers was Truck drivers.
Table 6: Machinery operators and drivers deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 352 | 332 | 389 | 505 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 286 | 284 | 571 | 946 |
Truck drivers | 733 | 279 | 285 | 352 | 466 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | 257 | 254 | 71 | 86 |
Technicians and trades workers
The heat map revealed that on average, the Technicians and trades workers groupdemonstrated a medium harm index level at 1.38 times the all occupation average. Despite this moderate result, five occupations within this group of 21 were deemed high harm (Table 7) and indices for all five have worsened over time.
The Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers occupation was the only occupation in the group deemed medium harm in 2011. This occupation was also the only one to experience an increase in claims over the five years to 2016 (18.4 per cent).
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners and Fabrication engineering trades workers, were largely responsible for driving up the result for the occupation group.
Table 7: Technicians and trades workers occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 480 | 333 | 143 | 245 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 396 | 296 | 51 | 73 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | 329 | 244 | 40 | 63 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 300 | 242 | 400 | 820 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | 247 | 149 | 116 | 98 |
Other occupations
The occupations in the table below are noteworthy despite not being categorised as high harm. This is based on significant index values and numbers of claims. The six occupations in Table 8 make up 13 per cent of all claims and have a higher harm index than average.
The Plumbers occupation was the only one deemed high harm in 2011, but significantly improved in both numbers and severity of claims over the five years to 2016. In fact, all occupations in the table made similar improvements, except for Mechanical engineering trades workers, which experienced an increase in harm index over the period (from 126 to 137).
Table 8: Other noteworthy results in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Farm, forestry and Garden workers | 841 | 162 | 196 | 334 | 351 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 731 | 149 | 196 | 140 | 160 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 147 | 151 | 220 | 234 |
Prison and security officers | 442 | 143 | 175 | 93 | 102 |
Plumbers | 334 | 141 | 361 | 84 | 128 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 137 | 126 | 435 | 698 |
Serious on-duty at place of work claims (5 or more days off work)
The heat map produced for serious claims (Appendix 2) revealed that high risk occupations were very similar to all finalised claims.
Likewise, the three occupation groups identified in Table 1 were of the highest harm, largely due to a high proportion of occupations in these groups deemed as high risk in 2016 (33 per cent). Examples include Miscellaneous labourers (873 harm index), Construction and mining labourers (650), and Mobile plant operators (352). These three occupations also had large numbers of claims in 2016.
Almost all occupations identified as high harm in Table 2, were also assessed as being high harm when analysis was restricted to serious claims only. Harm indices and numbers of claims however were different, as expected, and are summarised in Table 9.
The only exception was Food process workers, which was deemed medium risk at 189 or nearly twice that of all occupations in 2016, when analysis was limited to serious claims.
Table 9: High harm occupations, serious claims 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 873 | 1,287 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 650 | 440 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 480 | 143 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 464 | 153 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 396 | 51 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 332 | Technicians and trades workers | 329 | 40 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 352 | 389 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 279 | 352 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 257 | 71 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | Machinery operators and drivers | 286 | 571 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 300 | 400 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | Technicians and trades workers | 247 | 116 |
It is interesting to note that, while serious claims represent 42 per cent of all finalised on-duty at place of work claims for all occupations, this percentage drops to 36 per cent for Technicians and trades workers’ claims. The highest conversion rate to serious claims was 48 per cent for Community and personal services workers. Labourers’ proportion of serious claims was 42 per cent, similar to Machinery operators and drivers with 43 per cent.
Sources: Queensland Employee Injury Database (QEIDB) (data extracted January 2018) and ABS, Censuses 2011 and 2016.
Appendix 1
Heat map – Finalised claims (excluding on-duty road traffic and commuting claims)
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 31 | 48 | 20 | 43 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 4 | 5 | 16 | 17 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 27 | 46 | 13 | 18 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 75 | 36 | 26 | 40 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 161 | 183 | 35 | 58 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 109 | 72 | 25 | 27 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 23 | 18 | 11 | 17 |
Arts professionals | 109 | 62 | 10 | 16 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 149 | 196 | 140 | 160 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 108 | 132 | 177 | 235 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 480 | 333 | 143 | 245 |
Building and engineering technicians | 54 | 50 | 65 | 113 |
Business administration managers | 26 | 38 | 10 | 14 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 4 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 40 | 134 | 30 | 300 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 82 | 89 | 32 | 46 |
Child carers | 41 | 31 | 73 | 78 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 93 | 134 | 385 | 518 |
Clerical and office support workers | 37 | 28 | 22 | 38 |
Construction and mining labourers | 650 | 389 | 440 | 666 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 30 | 29 | 33 | 55 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 23 | 8 | 14 | 12 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 104 | 101 | 185 | 238 |
Delivery drivers | 257 | 254 | 71 | 86 |
Education aides | 25 | 30 | 82 | 84 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 34 | 55 | 27 | 26 |
Electricians | 116 | 104 | 180 | 273 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 66 | 100 | 73 | 147 |
Engineering professionals | 59 | 65 | 37 | 66 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 300 | 242 | 400 | 820 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 162 | 196 | 334 | 351 |
Farmers and farm managers | 90 | 90 | 47 | 74 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 9 | 10 | 5 | 13 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 329 | 244 | 40 | 63 |
Food preparation assistants | 46 | 62 | 156 | 210 |
Food process workers | 243 | 394 | 177 | 402 |
Food trades workers | 75 | 97 | 208 | 288 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 56 | 91 | 62 | 72 |
General clerks | 46 | 49 | 131 | 196 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 396 | 296 | 51 | 73 |
Hairdressers | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
Health and welfare support workers | 147 | 151 | 220 | 234 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 22 | 48 | 20 | 32 |
Health therapy professionals | 5 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
Horticultural trades workers | 96 | 216 | 93 | 161 |
Hospitality workers | 31 | 46 | 170 | 236 |
Human resource and training professionals | 43 | 69 | 17 | 22 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 22 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
ICT managers | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
ICT network and support professionals | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Information and organisation professionals | 21 | 30 | 16 | 22 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 107 | 91 | 39 | 55 |
Keyboard operators | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Legal professionals | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Logistics clerks | 38 | 35 | 40 | 54 |
Machine operators | 134 | 148 | 52 | 116 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 137 | 126 | 435 | 698 |
Media professionals | 19 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Medical practitioners | 8 | 28 | 9 | 20 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 69 | 60 | 156 | 159 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 45 | 38 | 38 | 46 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 16 | 32 | 5 | 9 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 464 | 363 | 153 | 245 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 29 | 47 | 38 | 75 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 873 | 698 | 1,287 | 1,410 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 24 | 85 | 8 | 56 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 67 | 75 | 32 | 48 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 247 | 149 | 116 | 98 |
Mobile plant operators | 352 | 332 | 389 | 505 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 46 | 53 | 47 | 74 |
Office and practice managers | 30 | 9 | 14 | 19 |
Packers and product assemblers | 25 | 99 | 24 | 70 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 56 | 54 | 15 | 31 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 11 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
Personal carers and assistants | 90 | 109 | 307 | 321 |
Personal service and travel workers | 72 | 41 | 49 | 56 |
Plumbers | 141 | 361 | 84 | 128 |
Printing trades workers | 21 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
Prison and security officers | 143 | 175 | 93 | 102 |
Real estate sales agents | 13 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
Receptionists | 15 | 15 | 20 | 27 |
Retail managers | 13 | 20 | 24 | 38 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 58 | 36 | 492 | 433 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 22 | 8 | 11 | 13 |
School teachers | 42 | 42 | 227 | 232 |
Social and welfare professionals | 39 | 34 | 34 | 38 |
Sports and fitness workers | 184 | 211 | 54 | 74 |
Stationary plant operators | 286 | 284 | 571 | 946 |
Storepersons | 152 | 142 | 197 | 299 |
Tertiary education teachers | 31 | 32 | 19 | 17 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 1 | 69 | 1 | 3 |
Truckdrivers | 279 | 285 | 352 | 466 |
Woodtrades workers | 109 | 141 | 29 | 44 |
Appendix 2
Heat map - Serious claims, excluding road traffic incidents
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 32 | 52 | 8 | 19 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 26 | 47 | 5 | 6 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 76 | 33 | 12 | 10 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 166 | 161 | 20 | 28 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 112 | 71 | 12 | 10 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 24 | 18 | 5 | 5 |
Arts professionals | 96 | 58 | 4 | 4 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 134 | 180 | 40 | 45 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 96 | 132 | 59 | 70 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 493 | 320 | 76 | 112 |
Building and engineering technicians | 41 | 46 | 21 | 28 |
Business administration managers | 27 | 41 | 5 | 6 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 1 | 41 | 0 | 6 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 39 | 131 | 13 | 107 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 84 | 88 | 13 | 15 |
Child carers | 42 | 31 | 35 | 38 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 94 | 141 | 199 | 244 |
Clerical and office support workers | 38 | 29 | 10 | 17 |
Construction and mining labourers | 651 | 395 | 190 | 221 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 29 | 27 | 13 | 18 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 24 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 102 | 99 | 62 | 66 |
Delivery drivers | 270 | 275 | 45 | 49 |
Education aides | 24 | 29 | 27 | 29 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 33 | 60 | 9 | 14 |
Electricians | 117 | 88 | 59 | 65 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 52 | 97 | 24 | 38 |
Engineering professionals | 59 | 36 | 16 | 21 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 249 | 222 | 108 | 150 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 164 | 204 | 173 | 202 |
Farmers and farm managers | 78 | 96 | 29 | 40 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 9 | 10 | 2 | 5 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 341 | 256 | 20 | 29 |
Food preparation assistants | 45 | 65 | 65 | 84 |
Food process workers | 189 | 314 | 48 | 106 |
Food trades workers | 76 | 101 | 87 | 116 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 54 | 92 | 26 | 31 |
General clerks | 45 | 48 | 53 | 73 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 421 | 320 | 29 | 32 |
Hairdressers | 10 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
Health and welfare support workers | 152 | 162 | 122 | 112 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 19 | 47 | 6 | 14 |
Health therapy professionals | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
Horticultural trades workers | 95 | 211 | 41 | 73 |
Hospitality workers | 29 | 45 | 73 | 88 |
Human resource and training professionals | 40 | 72 | 5 | 7 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Information and organisation professionals | 20 | 28 | 7 | 7 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 109 | 96 | 21 | 23 |
Keyboard operators | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Legal professionals | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Logistics clerks | 36 | 33 | 15 | 18 |
Machine operators | 132 | 151 | 17 | 44 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 129 | 107 | 134 | 147 |
Media professionals | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Medical practitioners | 7 | 29 | 3 | 7 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 72 | 63 | 90 | 72 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 45 | 38 | 14 | 19 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 16 | 32 | 2 | 4 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 445 | 314 | 47 | 61 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 29 | 45 | 16 | 28 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 818 | 602 | 511 | 506 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 19 | 75 | 4 | 15 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 61 | 71 | 11 | 16 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 235 | 143 | 42 | 31 |
Mobile plant operators | 332 | 332 | 175 | 237 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 45 | 53 | 18 | 26 |
Office and practice managers | 30 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
Packers and product assemblers | 20 | 101 | 7 | 26 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 57 | 46 | 5 | 9 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 11 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
Personal carers and assistants | 92 | 118 | 167 | 173 |
Personal service and travel workers | 74 | 40 | 29 | 27 |
Plumbers | 139 | 323 | 35 | 54 |
Printing trades workers | 22 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
Prison and security officers | 147 | 186 | 49 | 53 |
Realestate sales agents | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Receptionists | 14 | 16 | 10 | 12 |
Retail managers | 13 | 21 | 10 | 17 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 55 | 36 | 200 | 151 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 23 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Schoolteachers | 41 | 42 | 78 | 76 |
Social and welfare professionals | 40 | 32 | 15 | 17 |
Sports and fitness workers | 166 | 230 | 34 | 44 |
Stationary plant operators | 264 | 264 | 208 | 245 |
Storepersons | 143 | 136 | 72 | 99 |
Tertiary education teachers | 30 | 32 | 8 | 6 |
Truckdrivers | 277 | 298 | 206 | 251 |
Woodtrades workers | 112 | 148 | 11 | 20 |
Results
Harm index analysis for on-duty at place of work claims revealed the occupation groups with the highest index level occupations were:
- Labourers
- Machinery operators and drivers
- Technicians and trades workers
- Community and personal services workers
These four occupation groups represent half of the eight categories, yet their claim numbers account for 80 per cent of all in scope claims. It is a similar result for statutory payments, with these four occupation groups accounting for 79 per cent of the total. Further, the first three groups represent approximately two thirds of all claims and statutory payments.
Despite this, not all occupation groups were deemed high harm overall (Table 1). Only the Labourers and Machinery operators and drivers groups were high harm in 2016. This is generally because there are relatively risker occupations in the Labourers group. Refer to Table 2.
Table 1: Occupation groups with high harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation group | Index value1 | Number of claims | Proportion of all claims (%)2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Labourers | 246 | 5,977 | 31 |
Machinery operators and drivers | 237 | 2,737 | 14 |
Technicians and trades workers | 153 | 4159 | 22 |
Community and personal services workers | 88 | 2364 | 12 |
Total (all claims) | 100 | 19,111 | 100 |
1 Calculated using ANZSCO 3-digit results.
2 There are rounding errors in this table.
Overall there were 13 occupations that were deemed high risk in 2016 (Table 2), having a harm index that is more than twice that for all occupations. Workers in these occupations had the highest risk of severe harm in 2016. (Detailed results in Appendix 1.)
Table 2: High harm occupations, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,077 | 2,509 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 502 | 615 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 334 | 798 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 331 | 719 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 323 | 660 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 296 | 456 |
Storepersons | 741 | Machinery operators and drivers | 275 | 933 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 270 | 166 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 260 | 661 |
Prison and security officers | 442 | Community and personal services workers | 259 | 168 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 246 | 492 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | Technicians and trades workers | 228 | 192 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 219 | 325 |
The top ten improvements in harm index over the five-year period to 2016, are outlined in Table 3.
Improvements refer to relative improvements over time, so theoretically if all occupations except one were worse in 2016, the exception would show an improvement even if numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations which were deemed either medium or high harm and had at least 2003 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
3 This represents approximately one per cent of claims.
All improvements in Table 3 belong to the top four high harm occupation groups. Six of the ten occupations in Table 3 were deemed high harm in 2011. Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations accounted for 20 per cent of all claims in 2016.
Table 3: Top ten improvements in Harm Index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Food process workers | 831 | 260 | 420 | 661 | 1530 | -160 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 296 | 394 | 456 | 654 | -98 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 502 | 592 | 615 | 1086 | -90 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 331 | 419 | 719 | 935 | -88 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 270 | 352 | 166 | 210 | -82 |
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 180 | 234 | 196 | 345 | -54 |
Machine operators | 711 | 123 | 173 | 183 | 360 | -50 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 841 | 159 | 187 | 334 | 370 | -28 |
Plumbers | 334 | 152 | 177 | 152 | 211 | -25 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 176 | 200 | 408 | 566 | -24 |
The ten worst performers over the period are revealed in Table 4. Performance is relative over time, so similarly, if all occupations except one improved in 2016, the exception would show worse results even if their numbers of claims and statutory payments remained the same. Occupations, which were deemed medium to high harm with approximately 200 claims in 2011 were included in the analysis.
All occupations in Table 4 belong to the top four high harm occupation groups. The only occupations in the table that were not deemed high harm in 2016, (and do not appear in Table 2), were the last five occupations in the table: Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers; Electricians, Electronics and telecommunications trades workers; Mechanical engineering trades workers; and Food trades workers. The only occupations that were considered lower than average harm in 2011 in Table 4 were Electronics and telecommunications trades workers, and Food trades workers.
Claim numbers for this group of ten occupations in Table 4 account for almost a third of all claims in 2016, at 30 per cent.
Table 4: Top ten deteriorations in harm index, 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Harm index value 2016 | Harm index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 | Harm index point change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1077 | 651 | 2,509 | 2,424 | 426 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 219 | 115 | 325 | 325 | 104 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 334 | 250 | 798 | 1435 | 84 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | 228 | 171 | 192 | 305 | 57 |
Truck drivers | 733 | 323 | 280 | 660 | 805 | 43 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 399 | 154 | 122 | 169 | 214 | 32 |
Electricians | 341 | 152 | 121 | 265 | 367 | 31 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 342 | 103 | 83 | 123 | 192 | 20 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 155 | 144 | 368 | 643 | 11 |
Food trades workers | 351 | 102 | 92 | 419 | 556 | 10 |
Labourers
Labourers recorded the highest average index value of 246 (or 2.46 times the all occupation average), while also holding the largest number of claims (31 per cent).
Almost half (44 per cent) of the Labourer occupation group comprised high risk occupations. These four occupations are listed in Table 5.
Table 5: Labourer occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | 1,077 | 651 | 2,509 | 2,424 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | 502 | 592 | 615 | 1,086 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | 331 | 419 | 719 | 935 |
Food process workers | 831 | 260 | 420 | 661 | 1,530 |
Miscellaneous labourers was the riskiest occupation overall, both in 2011 and in 2016, with the numbers of claims rising significantly over time as well as relative risk. This occupation also had the most claims of any (2,509 or 13 per cent of all claims in 2016) and more than twice the number of claims of the next highest occupation (Sales assistants and salespersons with 1,107).
The remaining three Labourer occupations experienced an improvement in both the harm index as well as the numbers of claims in 2016. The largest improvement was for Food process workers. This occupation’s harm index decreased by 160 points and there were 869 fewer claims, which represent a 57 per cent reduction over the five years to 2016.
Machinery operators and drivers
Machinery operators and drivers recorded the second highest average index value of 237 (or 2.37 times the all occupation average), while also holding many claims (2,737 or 14 per cent of total).
There were three occupations within the Machinery operators and drivers group that were deemed high harm in 2016 (Table 6). Accordingly, the heat map revealed that the Machinery operators and drivers group had nearly half the occupations shaded red (43 per cent or three of the seven occupations).
The Truck driver occupation worsened over the five-year period to 2016, despite a drop in claims. This could be due to more severe injuries on average or a relatively slower rate of improvement or a combination of both these factors. The other two Machinery operators and drivers occupations experienced a reduction in both harm index and numbers of claims over the period.
Table 6: Machinery operators and drivers deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Truck drivers | 733 | 323 | 280 | 660 | 805 |
Storepersons | 741 | 275 | 297 | 933 | 1,238 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | 246 | 255 | 492 | 635 |
Technicians and trades workers
The heat map revealed that on average, the Technicians and trades workers groupdemonstrated a medium harm index level at 1.53 times the all occupation average. Despite this moderate result, four occupations within this group of 21 were deemed high harm (Table 7). Numbers of claims however have declined for all four occupations.
Fabrication engineering trades workers (with a harm index of 334 or 3.34 times the all occupation average) were largely responsible for driving up the result for the occupation group. All high harm occupations have remained high risk over time, except for Horticultural trades workers, which was deemed medium risk in 2011.
Table 7: Technicians and trades workers occupations deemed high harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | 334 | 250 | 798 | 1,435 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | 296 | 394 | 456 | 654 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | 270 | 352 | 166 | 210 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | 228 | 171 | 192 | 305 |
Community and personal services workers
The harm index for the Community and personal services workers group was 88 or approximately average for all occupations. There were two out of nine occupations in this group that were deemed high harm (Table 8). This is not a surprising result given the nature of firefighting, police, and prison work.
Other personnel that are exposed to dangerous work, such as paramedics, are in occupation categories that were assessed as medium risk of harm. For example, Health and welfare support workers have a harm index of 176.
The harm index for fire fighters and police increased by 104 points while numbers of claims remained static over the five years to 2016. Without the introduction of deemed diseases legislation, which meant that certain occupational cancer claims for firefighters were automatically accepted from 20154, numbers of claims would have decreased.
4 There were approximately 14 additional deemed diseases claims on average for all of Queensland in the 2016 results.
Table 8: Community and personal services workers at high risk of harm in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prison and security officers | 442 | 259 | 268 | 168 | 214 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | 219 | 115 | 325 | 325 |
Other occupations
The occupations in the table below are noteworthy despite not being categorised as high harm. This is based on significant index values and numbers of claims. The five occupations in Table 9 make up eight per cent of all claims and have a higher harm index than average.
Stationary plant operators were deemed high harm in 2011, but significantly improved in both numbers and severity of claims over the five years to 2016. The mechanical engineering trades workers occupation had fewer claims in 2016, however the relative risk of severity of harm in this occupation was higher than in 2011.
Table 9: Other noteworthy results in 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3 digit | Index value 2016 | Index value 2011 | Number of claims 2016 | Number of claims 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stationary plant operators | 712 | 180 | 234 | 196 | 345 |
Health and welfare support workers | 411 | 176 | 200 | 408 | 566 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 841 | 159 | 187 | 334 | 370 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 323 | 155 | 144 | 368 | 643 |
Electricians | 341 | 152 | 121 | 265 | 367 |
Serious on-duty at place of work claims (5 or more days off work)
The heat map produced for serious claims (Appendix 2) revealed that high risk occupations were very similar to all finalised claims.
Likewise, the four occupation groups identified in Table 1 were of the highest harm, largely due to a high proportion of occupations in these groups deemed as high risk in 2016 (30 per cent). Examples include Miscellaneous labourers (1,075 harm index) and Truck drivers (349). These two occupations also had large numbers of claims in 2016.
All occupations identified as high harm in Table 2, were also assessed as being high harm when analysis was restricted to serious claims only. Harm indices and numbers of claims however were different, as expected, and are summarised in Table 10.
Delivery drivers were added to the high-risk category when analysis was restricted to serious claims, with a harm index of 209 or just over twice that of all occupations in 2016.
Table 10: High harm occupations, serious claims 2016
| Occupation | ANZSCO 3-digit code | Occupation group | Index value | Number of claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miscellaneous labourers | 899 | Labourers | 1,075 | 889 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 839 | Labourers | 501 | 164 |
Truck drivers | 733 | Machinery operators and drivers | 349 | 383 |
Construction and mining labourers | 821 | Labourers | 329 | 290 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 322 | Technicians and trades workers | 319 | 193 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 331 | Technicians and trades workers | 296 | 181 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 333 | Technicians and trades workers | 287 | 68 |
Prison and security officers | 442 | Community and personal services workers | 275 | 80 |
Storepersons | 741 | Machinery operators and drivers | 267 | 317 |
Food process workers | 831 | Labourers | 255 | 260 |
Horticultural trades workers | 362 | Technicians and trades workers | 244 | 96 |
Mobile plant operators | 721 | Machinery operators and drivers | 242 | 206 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 441 | Community and personal services workers | 225 | 103 |
Delivery drivers | 732 | Machinery operators and drivers | 209 | 76 |
It is interesting to note that, while serious claims represent 38 per cent of all finalised on-duty at place of work claims for all occupations, this percentage drops to 34 per cent for Technicians and trades workers’ claims. The highest conversion rates to serious claims were 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively for Community and personal services workers and Machinery operators and drivers. Labourers’ proportion of serious claims was 39 per cent.
Sources: Queensland Employee Injury Database (QEIDB) (data extracted January 2018) and ABS, Censuses 2011 and 2016.
Appendix 1
Heat map – Finalised claims (excluding on-duty road traffic and commuting claims)
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 41 | 27 | 52 | 66 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 4 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 18 | 6 | 48 | 45 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 32 | 21 | 33 | 50 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 44 | 48 | 44 | 67 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 121 | 50 | 14 | 23 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 146 | 185 | 113 | 114 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 18 | 5 | 20 | 21 |
Arts professionals | 137 | 97 | 43 | 49 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 131 | 116 | 117 | 137 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 136 | 136 | 436 | 518 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 296 | 394 | 456 | 654 |
Building and engineering technicians | 67 | 47 | 93 | 139 |
Business administration managers | 15 | 14 | 19 | 31 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 16 | 23 | 21 | 45 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 22 | 111 | 59 | 617 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 50 | 27 | 54 | 65 |
Child carers | 53 | 47 | 253 | 253 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 123 | 137 | 626 | 832 |
Clerical and office support workers | 46 | 29 | 47 | 59 |
Construction and mining labourers | 331 | 419 | 719 | 935 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 27 | 32 | 106 | 176 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 7 | 8 | 15 | 18 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 5 | 13 | 2 | 4 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 219 | 115 | 325 | 325 |
Delivery drivers | 198 | 218 | 155 | 170 |
Education aides | 44 | 39 | 239 | 246 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 28 | 28 | 45 | 47 |
Electricians | 152 | 121 | 265 | 367 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 103 | 83 | 123 | 192 |
Engineering professionals | 48 | 98 | 56 | 105 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 334 | 250 | 798 | 1435 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 159 | 187 | 334 | 370 |
Farmers and farm managers | 39 | 74 | 54 | 104 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 21 | 26 | 28 | 41 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 192 | 269 | 70 | 103 |
Food preparation assistants | 48 | 53 | 296 | 407 |
Food process workers | 260 | 420 | 661 | 1,530 |
Food trades workers | 102 | 92 | 419 | 556 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 34 | 79 | 86 | 121 |
General clerks | 60 | 48 | 252 | 381 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 270 | 352 | 166 | 210 |
Hairdressers | 26 | 24 | 21 | 24 |
Health and welfare support workers | 176 | 200 | 408 | 566 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 39 | 25 | 39 | 56 |
Health therapy professionals | 7 | 12 | 19 | 21 |
Horticultural trades workers | 228 | 171 | 192 | 305 |
Hospitality workers | 30 | 47 | 289 | 443 |
Human resource and training professionals | 57 | 8 | 15 | 32 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 28 | 28 | 14 | 15 |
ICT managers | 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
ICT network and support professionals | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Information and organisation professionals | 39 | 18 | 28 | 34 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 45 | 39 | 66 | 110 |
Keyboard operators | 23 | 12 | 10 | 15 |
Legal professionals | 4 | 10 | 5 | 4 |
Logistics clerks | 48 | 46 | 103 | 182 |
Machine operators | 123 | 173 | 183 | 360 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 155 | 144 | 368 | 643 |
Media professionals | 15 | 19 | 8 | 17 |
Medical practitioners | 18 | 15 | 23 | 28 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 48 | 46 | 257 | 320 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 33 | 42 | 68 | 93 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 23 | 8 | 21 | 15 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 502 | 592 | 615 | 1086 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 48 | 43 | 98 | 140 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1077 | 651 | 2509 | 2424 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 25 | 56 | 26 | 109 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 69 | 70 | 63 | 105 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 154 | 122 | 169 | 214 |
Mobile plant operators | 246 | 255 | 492 | 635 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 31 | 40 | 61 | 84 |
Office and practice managers | 12 | 13 | 23 | 37 |
Packers and product assemblers | 45 | 106 | 130 | 425 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 118 | 89 | 103 | 147 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 10 | 14 | 19 | 32 |
Personal carers and assistants | 84 | 99 | 554 | 693 |
Personal service and travel workers | 26 | 20 | 27 | 35 |
Plumbers | 152 | 177 | 152 | 211 |
Printing trades workers | 90 | 83 | 27 | 43 |
Prison and security officers | 259 | 268 | 168 | 214 |
Real estate sales agents | 11 | 17 | 21 | 26 |
Receptionists | 9 | 15 | 37 | 63 |
Retail managers | 19 | 17 | 59 | 111 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 57 | 37 | 1107 | 982 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 11 | 15 | 20 | 33 |
School teachers | 56 | 51 | 626 | 629 |
Social and welfare professionals | 46 | 34 | 50 | 73 |
Sports and fitness workers | 135 | 137 | 101 | 140 |
Stationary plant operators | 180 | 234 | 196 | 345 |
Storepersons | 275 | 297 | 933 | 1238 |
Tertiary education teachers | 10 | 17 | 18 | 32 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 70 | 52 | 10 | 21 |
Truck drivers | 323 | 280 | 660 | 805 |
Wood trades workers | 164 | 149 | 120 | 150 |
Appendix 2
Serious claims, excluding road traffic incidents
Legend
| Index value: | |
|---|---|
| > 200 | |
| 101-200 | |
| 0-100 | |
| Index values | Claim numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 3 year average | |||
| Occupation | 2016 | 2011 | 2016 | 2011 |
Accommodation and hospitality managers | 42 | 28 | 23 | 25 |
Accountants, auditors and company secretaries | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers | 19 | 3 | 19 | 12 |
Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 33 | 20 | 12 | 15 |
Agricultural, medical and science technicians | 41 | 48 | 17 | 21 |
Air and marine transport professionals | 77 | 38 | 6 | 9 |
Animal attendants and trainers, and shearers | 150 | 192 | 41 | 39 |
Architects, designers, planners and surveyors | 17 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Arts professionals | 119 | 97 | 12 | 11 |
Automobile, bus and rail drivers | 137 | 120 | 60 | 66 |
Automotive electricians and mechanics | 133 | 136 | 126 | 131 |
Bricklayers, and carpenters and joiners | 296 | 421 | 181 | 245 |
Building and engineering technicians | 69 | 47 | 29 | 44 |
Business administration managers | 15 | 12 | 6 | 7 |
Business and systems analysts, and programmers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Call or contact centre information clerks | 17 | 24 | 11 | 17 |
Checkout operators and office cashiers | 22 | 101 | 21 | 180 |
Chief executives, general managers and legislators | 52 | 25 | 19 | 16 |
Child carers | 54 | 47 | 110 | 102 |
Cleaners and laundry workers | 132 | 146 | 348 | 403 |
Clerical and office support workers | 48 | 31 | 23 | 25 |
Construction and mining labourers | 329 | 428 | 290 | 343 |
Construction, distribution and production managers | 25 | 31 | 30 | 46 |
Contract, program and project administrators | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Defence force members, fire fighters and police | 225 | 114 | 103 | 77 |
Delivery drivers | 209 | 230 | 76 | 81 |
Education aides | 43 | 37 | 82 | 70 |
Education, health and welfare services managers | 27 | 28 | 18 | 13 |
Electricians | 158 | 123 | 90 | 86 |
Electronics and telecommunications trades workers | 107 | 83 | 46 | 47 |
Engineering professionals | 47 | 86 | 18 | 31 |
Fabrication engineering trades workers | 319 | 231 | 193 | 261 |
Farm, forestry and garden workers | 170 | 191 | 161 | 180 |
Farmers and farm managers | 39 | 79 | 25 | 59 |
Financial and insurance clerks | 19 | 25 | 8 | 18 |
Financial brokers and dealers, and investment advisers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Floor finishers and painting trades workers | 173 | 296 | 38 | 44 |
Food preparation assistants | 48 | 54 | 118 | 147 |
Food process workers | 255 | 396 | 260 | 476 |
Food trades workers | 104 | 91 | 173 | 174 |
Freight handlers and shelf fillers | 33 | 86 | 35 | 51 |
General clerks | 61 | 47 | 93 | 116 |
Glaziers, plasterers and tilers | 287 | 342 | 68 | 76 |
Hairdressers | 28 | 26 | 12 | 13 |
Health and welfare support workers | 187 | 212 | 196 | 248 |
Health diagnostic and promotion professionals | 40 | 25 | 17 | 19 |
Health therapy professionals | 7 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
Horticultural trades workers | 244 | 177 | 96 | 117 |
Hospitality workers | 30 | 48 | 113 | 155 |
Human resource and training professionals | 62 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
ICT and telecommunications technicians | 29 | 30 | 4 | 6 |
ICT managers | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
ICT network and support professionals | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Information and organisation professionals | 41 | 18 | 9 | 12 |
Insurance agents and sales representatives | 46 | 40 | 29 | 42 |
Keyboard operators | 25 | 12 | 5 | 5 |
Legal professionals | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
Logistics clerks | 48 | 44 | 37 | 57 |
Machine operators | 125 | 177 | 60 | 100 |
Mechanical engineering trades workers | 146 | 139 | 97 | 140 |
Media professionals | 11 | 19 | 2 | 4 |
Medical practitioners | 17 | 15 | 7 | 11 |
Midwifery and nursing professionals | 50 | 49 | 116 | 133 |
Miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers | 32 | 43 | 26 | 28 |
Miscellaneous education professionals | 21 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
Miscellaneous factory process workers | 501 | 575 | 164 | 267 |
Miscellaneous hospitality, retail and service managers | 48 | 42 | 37 | 48 |
Miscellaneous labourers | 1,075 | 647 | 889 | 750 |
Miscellaneous sales support workers | 25 | 55 | 8 | 30 |
Miscellaneous specialist managers | 67 | 64 | 21 | 25 |
Miscellaneous technicians and trades workers | 122 | 120 | 48 | 56 |
Mobile plant operators | 242 | 245 | 206 | 251 |
Natural and physical science professionals | 31 | 39 | 18 | 22 |
Office and practice managers | 13 | 14 | 9 | 14 |
Packers and product assemblers | 44 | 102 | 46 | 128 |
Panelbeaters, and vehicle body builders, trimmers and painters | 115 | 85 | 27 | 28 |
Personal assistants and secretaries | 10 | 14 | 6 | 11 |
Personal carers and assistants | 88 | 107 | 292 | 350 |
Personal service and travel workers | 28 | 21 | 14 | 14 |
Plumbers | 156 | 184 | 53 | 63 |
Printing trades workers | 95 | 82 | 13 | 11 |
Prison and security officers | 275 | 274 | 80 | 99 |
Real estate sales agents | 10 | 19 | 9 | 9 |
Receptionists | 9 | 14 | 14 | 21 |
Retail managers | 19 | 17 | 26 | 38 |
Sales assistants and salespersons | 55 | 36 | 411 | 306 |
Sales, marketing and public relations professionals | 12 | 13 | 8 | 9 |
School teachers | 55 | 46 | 199 | 175 |
Social and welfare professionals | 50 | 36 | 25 | 27 |
Sports and fitness workers | 138 | 138 | 55 | 54 |
Stationary plant operators | 171 | 220 | 69 | 95 |
Storepersons | 267 | 288 | 317 | 365 |
Tertiary education teachers | 9 | 16 | 6 | 8 |
Textile, clothing and footwear trades workers | 70 | 55 | 3 | 7 |
Truck drivers | 349 | 304 | 383 | 417 |
Wood trades workers | 172 | 159 | 45 | 55 |