Injured at work? Your employer has a legal duty to provide a safe work environment and protect employees from workplace hazards. However, accidents and workplace injuries happen, and workers can suffer from common injuries like broken bones, internal organ damage, musculoskeletal disorders, open wounds, and other injuries.
QLD Workers Compensation Lawyers: Your Rights
If you are a Queensland worker, you are insured by QLD WorkCover. Consequently, you may be eligible to make a workers’ compensation claim for work injury compensation if you suffer a work-related injury or illness.
However, the workers’ compensation process can be complex, particularly for permanent impairment payouts and common law claims.
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Free Initial Workplace Injury Claim Advice
Splatt Lawyers provides free initial legal advice for workplace injury claims. Our workers’ compensation can explain your rights on a 100% no-win, no-fee basis. Pay for a win and zero if you lose. Call 1800 700 125
Australian Statistics for Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries still happen even though your employer is legally obligated to provide you with a safe and healthy working environment. According to occupational injury statistics from Safe Work Australia, these jobs were most impacted by workplace accidents in 2017.
- 25% were Labourers
- 18% by Technicians and Trades Workers
- 16% by Community and Personal Service Workers
The most common types of injuries included musculoskeletal disorders, sprains and strains, and cuts and lacerations.
So, how can you reduce the risk of a work-related injury and serious claims? You can create a safe work environment by understanding your industry’s most common causes of workplace injuries and your rights under work health and safety laws.
Below, we examine the leading causes of the most common work-related injuries and provide tips to help you avoid them.
What are work-related injuries?
Work-related injuries include any physical injuries or mental health issues that are caused by someone’s job or work environment. These injuries range from minor issues like a small cut to severe accidents that cause life-threatening conditions.
Common workplace injuries include musculoskeletal disorders, repetitive strain injuries, and psychological injuries. In Australia, psychological injuries, such as those caused by workplace stress or trauma, are increasingly recognised as significant work-related injuries.
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1. Body Stressing / Repetitive Strain (39.3%)
The most common workplace injuries employees experience are musculoskeletal injuries and repetitive strain injury (RSI). RSI is often associated with workplace hand injuries, but repetitive strain also causes severe neck and back injury.
While repetitive motion can cause musculoskeletal disorders, these disorders can also be triggered by pulling, pushing, and lifting hazards. Risky manual lifting is to blame for more than half of upper-limb injuries.
Repetitive strain injuries occur across multiple industries but are often associated with white-collar workers who primarily use computers for repetitive tasks. Both white- and blue-collar employees are at risk of developing RSI, as are workers aged 35 to 54. If your job requires you to do these tasks, you have a higher risk:
- Performing a repetitive motion that stresses your muscles
- Having a prior injury in that area of your body
- Keeping the same physical position for an extended period
- Maintaining bad posture while working
- Having overall poor physical health
If you work in these industries, you are more at risk of acquiring RSI:
- Hairdressing and beauty
- Construction and mining
- Manufacturing on an assembly line
- Plumbing and Electrical
- Using a keyboard for extended periods
- Massage and other physical therapy
- Packing Goods
- Playing a musical instrument
You can prevent muscular and joint stress by
- Providing adequate training and supervision for carrying out tasks (such as training for proper lifting techniques)
- Having a qualified Work Health and Safety inspector regularly check workstations for the risk of muscular stress
- Practising good posture and taking regular breaks.
2. Falls, Trips and Slips (23%)
The number two cause of workplace injuries in Queensland is slips, trips, and falls. These kinds of accidents account for nearly a third of all reported occupational injuries and often lead to serious workplace claims. Generally, a work-related injury due to a slip, trip or fall is frequently caused by physical work conditions, such as:
- Poor lighting
- Slippery surfaces
- Wrong footwear
And physical hazards such as:
- Cabling
- Goods not stored
And behavioural factors such as:
- Running instead of walking
- Distracted by electronic devices
- Lack of Sleep
Typical physical damage from a slip, trip or fall includes:
- Bruising, abrasions, strains and sprains
- Cuts and bleeding
- Disc injuries
- Work-related back injuries
- Dislocation of joints
- Fractures of joints
Back and spine injuries are a common outcome of an accident at work caused by a slip, trip or fall.
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3. Toppling incidents / being hit by moving objects (15.4%)
Safe Work Australia’s report found that falling objects accounted for 29% of all workplace fatalities, making it the second most common cause after vehicle accidents in 2016.
If you operate with heavy objects or work in an environment with shelves, you may be susceptible to serious injuries like abrasions, concussions, and the like. To prevent such injuries, you must follow the Workplace Health and Safety procedures implemented by your employer and ensure you wear the correct safety gear.
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4. Stress and Other Mental Health Conditions (5.8%)
The causes of mental health conditions at work are many and varied. Workplace stress and trauma can originate from several circumstances.
- Workplace bullying and harassment
- Exposure to workplace violence
- High-pressure working environment
- Working too many hours
- Poor job role clarity
- Failure to manage change
- Poor working conditions
- Inability to control workplace behaviour
- Micromanagement
- Repetitive and Boring tasks
These factors can all contribute to high levels of stress, which, if prolonged, can lead to psychological or physical work-related injuries. Under Australian legislation, your employer has a duty to protect you from psychological stress. To prevent workplace mental stress, your employer should encourage regular breaks and create work processes that maintain good office morale for you and your colleagues.
5) Vehicle Incidents (2.4%)
Workplace accidents caused by vehicle incidents are a common cause of workplace injuries. This includes accidents such as:
- Forklift/motor-vehicle operation accidents
- Car accidents involving employees commuting to work
- Cargo and delivery truck accidents
These accidents can have profound implications. Therefore, it’s essential to wear seatbelts when driving and follow all other safety precautions your employer implements to protect your safety and health in the workplace.
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About Workers’ Compensation Claims
In Queensland, you could claim financial support for most work-related injuries, such as weekly payments and reimbursement of health care and rehabilitation costs. Generally, many injuries, illnesses, and mental health conditions qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Free Consultation for WorkCover Claims
Splatt Lawyers provides work-related injury legal services on a 100% basis, which means you have no financial risk when seeking advice for a workers’ compensation claim. Pay for a win and zero if you lose, with no upfront costs. Call 1800 700 125
Common Law Damages for Serious Injury
Some workplace accidents are more severe and result in serious workers’ compensation claims involving permanent impairment. In this situation, you could be eligibie claim a permanent impairment payout and common law damages for employer negligence.
Splatt Lawyers can explain your legal rights for free when injured by employer negligence. Call 1800 700 125
Top Ideas for Minimising Your Risk of Workplace Accidents
Often, injuries at work happen when workplace safety is not the main focus. In Queensland, your employer has a general duty of care to provide a safe and healthy workplace. However, all employees must keep each other safe. Being active in raising awareness of workplace risks is an excellent place to begin injury prevention.
a) Workplace Health and Safety
Large employers typically have an official Workplace Health and Safety program that monitors injuries and takes steps to prevent future injuries. When workplace harm is documented in one place, employers can take action to minimise future risks.
b) Raise Workplace Risk Awareness
Understanding the circumstances in which a worker can be injured at work presents a chance to raise awareness. Training workers in safe manual handling procedures and monitoring their performance will help minimise risk. Ensuring employees take breaks and avoid distractions from devices can also be beneficial when performing risky tasks.
c) Work Health and Safety Audit
When organisations strive to reduce workplace injury rates, they often conduct a WHS risk assessment. This report seeks to document work hazards, assess risk, and review the controls currently in place. By doing this, employers improve their workplace and provide a safer working environment.
What to Do If You Have a Work-Related Injury
However your work-related injuries occurred, you may be eligible to make a workers’ compensation claim for injuries in the workplace. But workers’ compensation laws can be complex.
In Queensland, you have the right to seek legal advice from a workers’ compensation lawyer regarding the claim process and your rights. Splatt Lawyers offers a free consultation that can explain your eligibility for workers’ compensation. We also provide 100% no-win, no-fee funding for all our legal services. Call 1800 700 125
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FAQs for Common Workplace Injuries
What is the most common injury in the workplace?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, slip-and-fall accidents and travel are the major causes of work-related injuries and illnesses.
What is an example of a workplace injury or illness?
Examples of work-related injuries include the following:
• Slips and falls
• Hit by a falling object
• Lifting injuries
• Chemical burns
• Electric shock
• Abrasions
• Mental stress
Examples of occupationally acquired illnesses include:
• Dust disease
• Asbestosis
• Certain types of cancer
• Asthma
• Dermatitis
What do you do if there is an accident at work?
If there is an accident at work, you should:
- Start first aid procedures and contact emergency services
- Seek medical attention for your recovery
- Lodge a workplace accident report with your employer.
- Seek legal advice regarding your rights
What is classed as a workplace injury?
Work-related injuries are those that occur:
- On the job
- While travelling to or from work
- While on a scheduled break
And an injury or illness that is directly related to your job. They can include diseases, physical injuries, mental health conditions and fatalities.