Honan report reveals Australia's costliest workplace injuries

Honan report reveals Australia’s costliest workplace injuries

26 May 2022

New data from Honan Insurance Group subsidiary Risksmart finds that shoulder injuries account for the most expensive claims made in Australia.

The average cost of shoulder injury claims was $11,412.29 vastly outranking head-related injury claims that ranked second with an average sum of $6715.88 per claim.

Risksmart says injuries to joints incurred costs on average of $3503.72 per claim compared to soft tissue injuries that averaged costs of $1859.43.

The report utilised data gathered over the last 10 years from more than 15,000 incidents and nearly 4000 claims.

Risksmart says claimants who described injuries to only one body part tend to receive more compensation for their injuries when compared to those who had injuries on two different body parts.

Overall, claimants who described damage to numerous body parts had a higher average settlement payout.

Head of Risksmart Maja Vujinovic says workplaces should prioritise high-risk areas.

“Some areas are more essential than others,” Ms Vujinovic said. “For example, an incident in the weights area in a gym is more likely than an incident in the entrance, while at the supermarket, the riskiest areas are where slimy spillages are most likely to occur, such as the fruit and vegetable section.”

Ms Vujinovic warned businesses to be wary of familiarity with stores and to watch out for “hidden hazards” that may not appear to be risks.

“You would be surprised at how many people walk into floor to ceiling mirrors.”