71 per cent of work place injuries related to men

Men were behind 71 per cent of work-related injury claims accepted by ACC. Photo / iStock

Workplace accidents were more often related to men than women in 2014, and coming from male-dominated industries of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Men were behind 71 per cent of work-related injury claims accepted by ACC and 96 per cent of fatal injury claims related to men.

Age was also a factor, with the highest rates of injury claims coming from workers in the younger, 15 to 24, and older, 65 and over, age groups.

"Older workers had high rates of injury claims accepted by ACC, especially for more-serious injuries," Michele Lloyd, customer, policy, and research manager at Statistics New Zealand, said.

Workers aged 65 and over had the highest rates of claims for more-serious injuries according to provisional figures. That age group lodged 24 entitlement claims per 1000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). However, this age group had the lowest number of these claims.

The overall rate of injury claims in New Zealand was 111 claims for every 1000 FTEs. In 2014, ACC approved 226,100 claims for injuries incurred while working.

The regional picture places Gisborne/Hawkes Bay with the highest incidence rate - 159 claims per 1000 FTEs with lowest rates found in Auckland and Wellington.

Male-dominated industries agriculture, including forestry, and fisheries had the highest rate of injury claims by occupation. In 2014, these workers made 242 injury claims per 1000 FTEs.

Other occupation groups with high rates of work-related injury claims in 2014 were elementary occupations, with 238 claims per 1000 FTEs, and trades workers, with 209.

The agriculture, forestry, and fishery industry had the highest rate of more-serious injuries, with 30 entitlement claims per 1000 FTEs. Self-employed workers were more likely to experience workplace injuries than employees were.

NZME sr pd