ACC launches injury ‘dashboard’

Media Release

4 July 2013

ACC launches injury ‘dashboard’ to encourage safe Canterbury rebuild

ACC today launched a new statistics tool to encourage greater safety among construction workers involved in the Canterbury rebuild.

The ‘ACC Canterbury Dashboard’ will provide comprehensive details of all construction-related claims in Canterbury, and will be updated monthly.

ACC’s General Manager of Insurance and Prevention Services, John Beaglehole, said the dashboard would provide an in-depth picture of where, how and to whom injuries were happening.

“This will enable all the parties who have signed up to the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter to get together and plan ways to address any trends or issues that are emerging.”

Mr Beaglehole said ACC was committed to making the best possible use of its resources and expertise to encourage a safer rebuild.

“ACC receives a wide range of information about injuries and how they happened when claims are lodged. The dashboard packages all that information in a way that’s of greatest benefit to our Charter partners.

“It includes details such as the activity taking place before the injury, the specific cause of the injury, the resulting diagnosis, and the body part affected.  It will also show claims rates for specific occupations, to help identify any issues that may be associated with particular trades.”

For example, recent data shows a noticeable increase in claims from professions such as painting, paperhanging and plastering.

“This may simply reflect the increased workload of these professions, but by digging deeper into the data we’ll try to see if there are any specific issues emerging.  We’ll also look to see if there are practical initiatives that could arrest any trends.”

Mr Beaglehole said ACC is also supporting a safe rebuild through existing incentives, such as programmes that can offer levy discounts to companies that meet specified safety criteria.

“We’ll also assist anyone injured during the rebuild, to ensure they receive appropriate rehabilitation and support to help them return to independence as quickly as possible.”

To view the ACC Canterbury Dashboard, go to:
www.acc.co.nz/preventing-injuries/communities/canterbury-dashboard/index.htm

ENDS

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