MORE than $20 million has been spent in Brimbank on workplace accident claims in the past four years, new statistics reveal.
WorkSafe has compiled a list of construction site injuries between 2008 and 2012. In Brimbank, 423 tradesmen were injured at work in that period, costing businesses $20.23 million.
WorkSafe chief executive Denise Cosgrove said musculoskeletal injuries were the most common, being caused by slips, trips and falls. “Inspectors visit almost 40 construction sites in Victoria every day and, on average, they find almost 6500 health and safety breaches every year,” she said. Most construction site injuries were caused by inadequate planning, poor site housekeeping and a lack of supervision.
“The injuries caused on sites are not always life threatening, but are often painful, costly and result in long periods off work,” Ms Cosgrove said.
Sunshine lawyer Kofi Osei, a senior solicitor with Shine Lawyers, said he had been flooded with WorkCover claims, many from migrants who were too afraid to report their injuries.
“A lot of these people are working in industrial, construction and machinery industries where the risk of injury is far higher.”
Mr Osei said one client had refused to lodge a compensation claim after having his fingers amputated following a workplace accident for fear of losing his job.
“He opted not to lodge a claim after his employer visited him at home and promised to pay him his weekly earnings until he recovered,” he said.
“These injuries affect a person’s emotional wellbeing and put added financial stress on families trying to pay mortgages; people can lose their homes and relationships can be under extreme stress.”
