The number of days lost due to injuries at Brimbank council nearly doubled in the past financial year, with more employees needing surgery to fully recover from workplace incidents.
Days off jumped by 46 per cent, from 986 to 1443, although WorkCover claims fell from 34 to 27. The most days lost were in the infrastructure and environment unit, with 911 days.
Council’s corporate and community relations director Helen Morrissey said the 1443 days off included some for new claims in the 2015-16 reporting period, plus any days lost due to existing claims made prior to this period.
“Council work areas – which include outdoor staff working in fields such as parks and gardens, roads and cleansing, and waste collection – do register more workplace-related injuries than office staff due to the nature of their jobs,” she said.
“About 34 per cent of our staff work in roles that are of a physical nature.
“[The increase] is due to a number of claimants requiring surgery, and therefore a longer recovery period, before returning to work.”
While more days were lost to injuries, the number of WorkCover claims was lower than any financial year since 2008. The previous lowest mark was 30 WorkCover claims during 2012-13.
There were 15 injuries requiring workers to miss days during 2015-16, compared to 21 the previous financial year.
Ewen McRae and Ben Cameron
