Musculoskeletal diseases and mental stress were a few of the key factors resulting in serious injury claims for the period of 2020-21, according to WorkSafe. Members should assess their injury prevention and management plan to ensure a safe and healthy environment for their workforce.

WorkSafe has released its annual Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia 2022, which provides an overview of the latest national data on work-related fatalities and workers' compensation claims.

There were 130,195 serious claims for the period of 2020-21 where median time lost from work was seven weeks and compensation cost was over $15,000 per claim.

The top three incident mechanisms which were the leading causes of serious claims included body stressing, falls, trips and slips, and being hit by moving objects. It is important to note here that the mechanism that took the fourth spot is mental stress.

Talking about the nature of injury, the report stated that traumatic joint/ligament and muscle/tendon injury took the first spot with 40%, and musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases were second, forming 16% of total serious claims.

Data in this report refers to serious claims only. Serious claims include all accepted workers' compensation claims for an incapacity that results in a total absence from work of one working week or more, excluding fatalities and journey claims.

LGIS WorkCare services

LGIS injury prevention consultants are driving a shift from conventional 'manual handling' education to actively assisting our members to manage their musculoskeletal (MSD) risks. Our focus on hazardous manual tasks and participatory ergonomics has proven to be the most effective methods for reducing the risk of MSD injuries, as we focus not only on lifting techniques, but rather challenging local government staff and leaders to think of solutions and effective controls for hazardous manual task. Our consultants focus on postures, movements, duration, frequency, exertion, vibration, and workplace design relating to any physical tasks; this approach is in line with the Code of Practice for managing hazardous manual tasks.

A key service available to our members is the LGIS manual task risk management program (PErforM). Please refer to page two for more details.

Local government statistics in WA on musculoskeletal injuries suggest that the year 2022 has seen a steep decline in both claims counts and incurred cost compared to the data from 2017/18.

The worker's compensation claim count, relating specifically to musculoskeletal injuries from hazardous manual tasks, was 573 in 2018, but saw a decline with 508 in 2021 and 429 in 2022.

The compensation cost incurred was also more than $12 M in 2018 and above $11 M in 2021. The year 2022 took a downward trajectory with almost 50% reduction as cost came down to around $5.3 M (note: this figure will increase due to backdated or outstanding claims).

While there have been significant strides towards reducing both the frequency and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses, there still exists many opportunities for improvement.

For more information on our health and wellbeing, and injury prevention programs, please contact our WorkCare services manager, James Larkin on 0419 355 943, or email health@lgiswa.com.au