WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS

Workplace injuries and illnesses range in severity and may cause short-term or long-term pain, disability or death. As well as the impact on their health, injured workers may also be absent from work, suffer loss of income or perhaps even lose their job.

The costs associated with a work-related injury are not only borne by the worker, but also the employer and the community. Direct costs include medical expenses (hospitalisation, doctors visits and rehabilitation), legal costs, and the cost of hiring a replacement worker. Indirect costs include lost output due to reduced productivity, reduced staff morale, and the administration of workers' compensation claims.

Injured Workers

More men than women experience a work-related injury, partly reflecting men's higher level of employment. Men also experience a higher injury rate compared with employed women. Differences in the types of jobs held by men and women, such as differences in occupation and industry, may explain the differences in injury rates. Generally, fewer women work in professions that consistently have high numbers of injuries or illnesses.

Age

Studies have shown that younger workers sustain work-related injuries at higher rates than older workers. Factors contributing to this include their employment in industries with high injury rates (such as service and retail), possible lack of awareness of work safety, inexperience on the job, and lack of adequate training.

Older workers, aged 55 years and over, experience the lowest work-related injury rates. Unlike all of the younger age groups, the injury rates for men and women in this age group were similar.

ACUPUNCTURE and WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS