The distribution of occupational injury risks in the State of Victoria

Based on a merger of workers' compensation data from the public fund Victorian Work-cover Authority for the period 1992-1998 and denominator data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 1996 Census, the relative distribution of occupational injury risk in the state of Victoria has been calculated. A reconstituted occupational code, made from combining the present Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) occupational and industrial codes, was used to differentiate occupations in relation to hazards. A four-part injury severity index, generated by the claims settling process, has been used to differentiate occupations, tasks and activities in terms of priorities for intervention and prevention. Occupational injury incidence and severity in Victoria between 1992 and 1998 has been analysed. Among large and small occupational groups the combined criteria of high annual injury incidence and extreme injury severity have identified the following occupational groups as the top priorities for prevention counter-measures in Victoria: Glass, clay, stone workers; Miners, drillers; Forestry and logging workers; Roof layers; Car and delivery drivers; Wood industry workers; Other construction workers. Ergonomic interventions, together with the prevention of falls and power tool incidents related to the relevant occupational exposures, were discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.