This report analyses the accident rate in Australian workplaces. This is measured by the number of compensation claims for serious work-related injuries and illnesses per 1,000 workers. These claims include deaths, permanent incapacity, or temporary incapacity resulting in an absence from work for at least one working week. The data for this report is sourced from Safe Work Australia and is measured in serious work-related injury claims per 1,000 workers over each financial year.

Incidents of workplace injury claims received by History Trust of South Australia for the period 2019-20 for annual reporting purposes.\r

Personal and workplace injury (PIL) firms are navigating challenging conditions as declining workplace accidents – thanks to enhanced safety regulations in industries like construction – reduce traditional demand. Meanwhile, increased road traffic following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and higher immigration has led to a spike in vehicle accidents, particularly among drivers under 35. Firms are adapting by shifting focus to motor vehicle accident litigation, tailoring services to younger clients and developing specialised offerings for older Australians who tend to sustain more severe injuries. This strategic refocusing allows them to capitalise on emerging opportunities despite tougher conditions in their traditional practice areas. Overall, industry revenue is expected to contract at an annualised 1.4% over the past five years and is expected to total $1.9 billion in 2024-25, when revenue will drop by an estimated 1.7%. Intense competition in the fragmented PIL industry, where the top three firms account for just over a quarter of industry revenue in 2024-25, is driving innovation and consolidation. Firms are adopting advanced technologies like data analytics and machine learning to enhance efficiency and gain a competitive edge. Profit margins have widened as firms employ 'no win, no fee' models, targeting cases with a high likelihood of success and boosting profitability but raising concerns about access to justice for clients with less certain claims. Over the next few years, PIL firms are set to benefit from improving economic conditions like improved consumer sentiment, which increases the likelihood of individuals seeking legal counsel. However, declining motor vehicle and workplace accidents – thanks to safety advancements stemming from the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033 – will reduce traditional revenue streams. To sustain growth, PIL firms will diversify into growth areas like medical negligence and mental health-related workplace injuries. At the same time, the rise of alternative dispute resolution methods, like arbitration and mediation, is reducing litigation income. This shift prompts firms to adapt their business models by handling a larger volume of smaller cases instead of relying on fewer, larger ones. This combination of factors is set to culminate in annualised growth of 1.5% through 2029-30 to $2.1 billion.

Number and rates of compensated serious claims and workplace traumatic injury fatalities during last 10 years in Australia

Number of Businesses statistics on the Personal and Workplace Injury Lawyers industry in Australia

In the United States, there were far more occupational injury deaths among men than women. In 2023, there were 4,832 male occupational injury deaths in the United States, compared to 447 deaths among women.

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The Statistical Bulletin is released annually and comprises workers compensation claims statistics. This statistical information allows employers, workers, regulators, insurers and service providers to better understand and respond to the nature and extent of work-related injuries and to balance expenditure in the workers compensation scheme.

Number of Workplace Health and Safety Injuries or Illnesses sustained by DETE students or staff, excluding TAFE.

Injury codes and descriptions used to identify similar injury claims in the Canadian and Australian workers’ compensation data, including Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z785 nature of injury and part of body codes and Australian Type of Occurrence Classification System (TOOCS) nature of injury and disease, and bodily location codes. (XLSX 19 kb)

Summary of work health and safety and return to work performance in 2017-18.

Injury details of Queensland Workers Compensation Claims. Injury details of Queensland Workers Compensation Claims.

This retrospective descriptive study was conducted in two regional Australian hospital EDs. All incident reports, hospital summary spreadsheets, and patient medical records associated with a security alert over a two-year period (2017 - 2019) were included. The situational and perpetrator characteristics associated with security alerts in the ED were recorded and presented in this excel file.

A heat map shows the distribution of relative workplace injury 'risk’ through industry sectors and business size

Data detailing workplace injury claims, work health and safety regulations and return to work costs for the South Australian Museum

Work Health Safety Injury Management

This data covers occurrences that resulted in fatalities, permanent disability or time lost from work of 1 shift or more. Data is categorised by body part affected, hazards identified, injury type, major equipment, mechanism of injury and worksite location.

Summary of the Health Performance Council Workplace injury claims, incidents under the Work health and safety regulations and any return to work costs Summary of the Health Performance Council Workplace injury claims, incidents under the Work health and safety regulations and any return to work costs

A heat map shows the distribution of relative workplace injury 'risk’ through industry sectors and business size

Summary of workplace injury claims, incidents and notices (under the WHS Act 2012) and return to work costs