Managing Workers Compensation in the Aged Care Industry

Australian aged care providers continue to face significant challenges when it comes to running their businesses, particularly in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Effectively managing workers’ compensation and safety risks requires organisations to adopt strategies that take into account the age profile of the workforce, the physical nature of caring, and the high rate of accidentsand incidents in the sector.

Data from Safe Work Australia illustrates the ageing nature of the workforce within this sector, with more than 40% of employees aged over 45. In addition, Safe Work Australia also found that the incidence rate for serious workers’ compensation claims in the 2013-14 financial year was two and a half times higher among residential care workers than the average for all industries. These figures also showed that the frequency of serious claims among residential care workers was more than three times higher than the average across all sectors.

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