Workplace injuries have decreased dramatically in Tasmanian manufacturing.
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Annual injuries in the industry declined by 38 per cent between 2013 and 2017, according to 2017 WorkSafe Tasmania data.
Healthcare and social assistance was the state’s injury “leader”.
It employed 20 per cent of all Tasmanian workers injured at work in 2017.
Healthcare and social assistance workers were significantly over-represented in the injury figures, despite the sector being Tasmania’s biggest employer.
While it accounted for 20 per cent of workplace injuries in 2017, it employed 14 per cent of Tasmanian workers in November 2016, according to the federal Employment Department’s Australian Jobs publication.
It had added 1400 jobs in five years.
The Tasmanian Health Service reported 429 injuries leading to workers compensation claims in 2016-17.
That was down from 450 in the previous year.
The state Health Department said it received 138 workers compensation claims during 2016-17, compared to 109 claims in 2015-16.
The department’s 2016-17 claims included 40 stress claims (up from 24 in the previous financial year) and 98 non-stress claims (up from 85).
It said total claim costs for the financial year were $5.67 million, including normal weekly earnings plus associated costs.
That was up from $4.78 million in the previous year.
It paid 10 settlements during the year, including seven stress claims and three non-stress claims.
Worksafe found Tasmanian workplace injuries across all sectors combined decreased by 11 per cent to 6436 in 2017.
It said nearly 15 per cent of the workers injured in 2017 had received hospital treatment.
As of January 15, 70 per cent of workers injured in 2017 were back at work, either full-time or part-time.
Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council chief executive and former mining company chief executive Wayne Bould said safety management was about diligence and process.
“There’s no magic bullet,” Mr Bould said.
“It’s just constant, constant focus and pressure on identifying risks, mitigating risks and managing them out of your business.”