For the first time in eight years, agriculture and fishery workers no longer have the highest rates of injury in New Zealand, that achievement now belongs to elementary workers such as cleaners, rubbish collectors, and labourers say Statistics NZ
Elementary occupation workers, which also includes jobs such as pest controllers, hotel porters, and courier drivers, had 238 claims per 1,000 full-time equivalent employees in 2015, which was the same rate as the year before.
However, the injury rate for agriculture and fishery group workers, which includes forestry workers, fell from 242 per 1,000 workers to 233 in 2015.
The provisional figures use work-related injury claims accepted by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). They also show workers in elementary occupations had the highest rate of applications for more serious injuries, with 40 entitlement claims for every 1,000 full-time employees.
These claims could include death benefits, weekly compensation, lump sums, and rehabilitation payments.
“Workers in the agriculture and fishery occupation, which includes forestry workers, now have the second highest claim rate for the first time since 2007,” says collaborative development manager Michele Lloyd.
Between 2008 and 2014, these workers had the highest rate of work-related claims. Even though this data is provisional, it’s usually a good indication of what the finalised data will show, which will be available in 2017,” she says.
