Work

Farm Injury Deaths and Workers' Compensation Claims in Australia and Their Economic Costs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To describe the pattern and estimated direct economic burdens associated with unintentional deaths and injuries on Australian farms over the past 11 years (2013-2023). DESIGN: Descriptive retrospective epidemiological study of National Coronial Information System (NCIS) data for persons fatally injured on a farm and workers' compensation injuries data from the National Data Set. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: All agricultural cases involving fatal injury events and those being injured accessing workers compensation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nature of fatal and injury events, with estimates on the economic costs associated with deaths and workers' compensation injury claims costs. RESULTS: There were 748 farm fatalities, with 544 (73%) being work-related. From these, 513 (94%) of the cases occurred in males, with almost half (48%) in farmers aged 60 years or older. The leading agents for fatalities were tractors (n = 118), quad-bikes (n = 117) and farm utilities (n = 52). Costs for all fatalities (work and non-work), approached $1.8 billion in the 2013-2023 period (~$164 million per year). Work-related fatalities accounted for $1.24 billion of this total, with an annual cost of approximately $112 million. There were around 5000 workers' compensation injury claims processed per year during 2013-2021, costing over $1.5 billion (~$190 million per year). CONCLUSION: The costs for all on-farm injury deaths and workers' compensation injury claims conjointly during the period of 2013-2023, includes a conservative annual estimate of $355 million per year. Of this sum, approximately $300 million involved work-related incidents. Although there is a modest progression in reducing farm deaths and injuries, targeted and evidence-based approaches are required to stimulate improvements in these preventable incidents.

Source: Australian Journal of Rural Health

DOI: 10.1111/ajr.70087

Authors: Carlos Mesa‐Castrillon, Kerri‐Lynn Peachey, Tony Lower

Institution: The University of Sydney

Language: English

Topic: Agriculture and Farm Safety

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,570