Arts and recreation services industry: highest injury rate

Arts and recreation services industry has highest injury rate

31 August 2017 - Arts and recreation workers, such as those who work in sports, had the highest rate of injury in 2016, Stats NZ said today.

The arts and recreation services industry, which includes categories such as sports professionals, dancers, and outdoor adventure operators, had 196 claims per 1,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) in 2016. Approximately 7,200 claims were made by workers in this industry, 3 percent of all
claims.

In contrast, the overall rate of injury claims in New Zealand in 2016 was 107 claims per 1,000 FTEs, just over half that of the arts and recreation services industry. Provisional 2016 figures are based on work-related injury claims accepted by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

“We can expect the arts and recreation services industry to have a high rate of injury since it includes workers in professional sports and adventure tourism. The high-level figures support this,” government injury information manager Dan Oberhaus said.

At the other end of the scale, the financial and insurance services industry had the lowest incidence rate, with 18 claims per 1,000 FTEs. The low rate is likely to be because these workers are usually in lower risk environments such as offices.
For more serious injury claims, the arts and recreation services industry had only the sixth-highest rate, with 22 entitlement claims per 1,000 FTEs. The manufacturing industry and the transport, postal, and warehousing industry tied for the highest rate of entitlement claims, both with 28 claims per 1,000 FTEs. These types of claims could include additional payments such as death benefits, loss of earning payments, lump sums, and rehabilitation payments.

In 2016, ACC approved 233,000 claims from 207,000 people for injuries that occurred while working.

For 10 percent of claims (23,300), the claim did not specify the industry of the workplace where the injury occurred.

ENDS

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