Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (26 November) . . Page.. 4647 ..

MS DUNDAS (continuing):

of WorkCover's resources were being diverted away from broader inspections into one specific campaign. I hope we will see a renewed focus on workplace inspections and education under the new commissioner, because representatives from the union sector tell me that increased inspections, particularly in the construction industry, have the potential to reduce current rates of workplace injury.

That is why I am also supportive of Ms Tucker's amendment to have the government investigate the increasing number of inspectors employed by ACT WorkCover and make sure that we can work to ensure a greater compliance with relevant legislation. It is definitely something worthy of this Assembly's support for the impact it will have on our workplace safety.

But I will return to the positive aspects of ACT WorkCover's current performance. The WorkCover OH&S awards are a wonderful initiative, and I commend the outgoing commissioner for introducing them. I agree that leadership by managers in workplaces promotes the culture of safety in all workplaces. It raises the expectation of workers and makes it easier for OH&S representatives to do their job.

I commend all the entrants in this year's awards and congratulate the winners in each category. It is clear that all the initiatives were the result of constructive partnerships between management and staff. Ongoing campaigns to strengthen the culture of safe work are important because, despite the progress made to date, the ABS reported that almost half a million Australians experienced a work-related injury or illness during the year ending September 2000, representing 5 per cent of all people aged 15 years or older who work at some time during the year. This is quite an astonishing figure. Worse still, in 1995, 30 per cent of Australians had a current injury or injury-related condition as a result of work-that is, 1.1 million people-with over three times as many men affected as women.

Complete or partial deafness is the most common work-related condition, affecting 22 per cent of all people with work-related injuries or conditions. Again, this is most common among men because they tend to work in noisier environments. Work-related deafness represents 85 per cent of all people with injury-related deafness.

Back and neck injuries affect 23 per cent of the people with work-related injuries. So I was pleased to see a number of entries in OH&S awards this year for working to reduce the incidence of back injuries.

Although physical injuries represent the large majority of workplace injuries, psychological injuries caused by work are on the increase. GPs report that psychological problems are the third most common category of workplace injury. Psychological injuries account for almost 10 per cent of all visits to GPs for work-related problems and 14 per cent of visits for new work-related problems. Less than a third of the people with work-related psychological problems seek compensation, whereas the majority of people with physical injuries do. These statistics were something that was very evident in the work that I did with the Community and Public Sector Union.

The number of workers who are experiencing a physical injury in the workplace-things like RSI or other workplace hazards-which is then making them depressed is

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .