Risky business – the most dangerous occupations

Risky business – the most dangerous occupations

28 November 2016

Workers in elementary occupations such as cleaners, rubbish collectors, and labourers had the highest rate of injury in 2015, Statistics NZ said today, as the rate for agriculture and fishery workers moved down from the top spot for the first time in eight years.

Elementary occupation workers, which also includes jobs such as pest controllers, hotel porters, and courier drivers, had 238 claims per 1,000 full-time equivalent employees in 2015, which was the same rate as the year before.

However, the injury rate for agriculture and fishery group workers, which includes forestry workers, fell from 242 per 1,000 workers, to 233 in 2015.

The provisional figures are based on work-related injury claims accepted by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). They also show workers in elementary occupations had the highest rate of claims for more serious injuries, with 40 entitlement claims for every 1,000 full time workers. These claims could include death benefits, weekly compensation, lump sums, and rehabilitation payments.

“Workers in the agriculture and fishery occupation, which includes forestry workers, now have the second highest claim rate for the first time since 2007. Between 2008 and 2014, these workers had the highest rate of work-related claims. Even though this data is provisional, it’s usually a good indication of what the finalised data will show, which will be available in 2017,” collaborative development manager Michele Lloyd said.

The overall rate of injury claims in New Zealand was 110 claims for every 1,000 FTEs in 2015.

During this time, ACC approved 230,200 claims made by 204,000 people for injuries incurred while working. Overall, the incidence rate for work-related injury claims has decreased each year since 2002.

The rate levelled off in 2013 and 2014, and the latest provisional data showed a small decline in 2015.

The regional picture places Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay with the highest incidence rate – 151 injury claims per 1,000 FTEs – with the lowest rates in Auckland and Wellington. This is the same story regionally as last year.

The manufacturing industry had the highest number of claims in 2015, with 17 percent of all claims, followed by the construction industry with 15 percent of all claims. The industry with the highest rate of work-related claims was the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry with 206 claims per 1,000 FTEs.

Self-employed workers were more likely to experience workplace injuries than employees were, a trend that has been in place since 2002.

For more information and downloadable tables about these statistics:
• Visit Injury Statistics – Work-related Claims: 2015

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