Working as a tradie is very physical and the possibility of being injured is real. The stats from Safe Work Australia confirm that tradies, labourers, machinery operators and drivers are at a higher risk of incurring a serious injury and making a claim. They make up 50% of serious claims.
Furthermore trade workers and technicians were among the occupation groups with the highest rates of work-related injuries and illnesses (72 out of 1000 employees). Drivers, labourers and machinery operators take the third spot with 57 per 1000 employees affected.
What are the Most Common Type of Injury?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most common causes of injury or illness are lifting, pushing, pulling or bending (24.2%), being hit or cut by an object or vehicle (18.2) or slips and falls (15.5). 60% of these had time off as a result of the injury or illness and only 27% received workers compensation for the injury or illness.
What is the Average Time Spent in Hospital per Type of Injury
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (AIHW) in 2019-2020, the average time spend in hospital due to falls was 6.9 days, for thermal causes 5.2 days and transport accidents 4.7 days.
Days in hospital don’t include the rehabilitation time at home or reduced capacity at work once you return to work and gradually get back to your pre-existing level or work pace.
Interestingly despite being injured at work, most tradies (84%) stay on at the job where they were injured or fell ill according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Only 7% of tradies who were injured at work changed their jobs.
Key Takeaways
The statistics highlight the higher risks for injury as a tradie therefore you should consider the importance of insurance cover. The types of insurance cover include personal accident and illness, life cover, income protection cover and health cover.
Personal accident and illness insurance pays a weekly amount to you, if you are accidently injured or suffer a covered illness* and you can’t work for a temporary time. Check for policies that insure you 24/7 so you can have extra peace of mind while kicking a footie over the weekend.
Life insurance cover pays a sum at death or a permanent plan provides peace of mind for the rest of your life.
Income protection insurance pays an agreed amount to assist you make payments while you are unable to work.
Health insurance covers vary on policy selected, so it’s good to check that you have enough cover.
(*Note not all illnesses are covered- refer to the Product Disclosure Statement for details of coverage)
In summary working as a tradie is physically demanding and according to the statistics tradies are placed at a higher risk of injury than most occupations. If you are injured in the workplace, insurance will minimise your risk, help you to pay for the hospitalisation, treatment or claims for loss of income.
