Dramatic Increase in Compensation Claims for Workplace Assault

A new statistical report released by Safe Work Australia has revealed claims related to occupational violence have more than doubled since the start of the century.

Preliminary data shows there were approximately 2,900 assault-related serious claims in 2019-20. A serious claim is an accepted workers’ compensation claim for an incapacity resulting in one week or more off work.

Despite Australia’s incidence rate of serious claims having decreased by 41 per cent, serious claims involving the claimant having been assaulted increased by 128 per cent.

Across all injury and illness types the median compensation paid for assault-related injuries has increased significantly, in this case from $6,000 in 2000-01 to $12,400 in 2018-19.

Statistics show the number, frequency rate and incidence rate of serious claims fell steadily between 2000-01 to 2015-16 and have since remained relatively stable, but the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) described this stability as stagnation.

According to the ACTU, safety outcomes have worsened since the Federal Coalition Government gained power in 2014.

ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien said despite decades of progress at reducing injury and illness we are now seeing more workers seriously injured and killed.

According to O’Brien, work-related injury and illness have been underestimated in the new report because many workers are reluctant to make claims or take time off work to recover from injury or illness.

“Diseases caused by work have risen dramatically since 2014, with mental health and respiratory diseases topping the charts,” O’Brien added.

The report from Safe Work Australia can be found here.