New Zealand

Organization responsible for the statistics

Periodicity

Compilation: monthly.

Publication: annual.

Source

Objectives and users

• to target injury prevention initiatives for high risk or high cost activities;
• to allocate funds within the ACC scheme;
• to forecast and set premium rates;
• to monitor performance;
• to target claims management and rehabilitation.

Major users:

Coverage

Persons:

In March 1997, about 1,688,800 workers were covered, i.e. total employed.

Economic activities:

Geographic areas:

The statistics cover persons working outside the country if their earnings are taxable in New Zealand and are defined as New Zealand residents. In some cases, overseas visitors are covered for medical treatment while in New Zealand.

Establishments:

Types of occupational accidents covered

Occupational diseases, defined as personal injury caused by gradual process, disease or infection arising out of and in the course of employment are included in the statistics.

Commuting accidents are included if the transport was provided by the employer.

Concepts and definitions

Work injury:

personal injury arising out of and in the course of employment of that person; including a cardio-vascular or cerebro-vascular episode where:

1. that episode is caused by physical effort or physical strain arising out of and int eh course of employment; and
2. that physical effort or physical strain is abnormal in application or excessive in intensity for the person suffering it.

Personal injury:

the death of, or physical injuries to, a person, and any mental injury suffered by that person which is an outcome of those physical injuries to that person.

Personal injury caused by gradual process, disease, or infection arising out of and in the course of employment: Personal injury shall be regarded as being caused by gradual process, disease, or infection arising out of and in the course of employment only if:

1. the employment task performed by the affected person, or the environment in which it was performed, had a particular property or characteristic which caused or contributed to that personal injury by gradual process, disease, or infection; and
2. the property or characteristics is not found to any material extent in the non-employment activities or environment of that person; and
3. the risk of suffering that personal injury is significantly greater for persons performing that employment task in that environment than for persons who do not perform that task in that environment.

Arising in the course of employment:

(in relation to a personal injury): an injury that occurs:

1. while any employment task is being performed at a place of employment; or
2. during any temporary interruption of work for a meal or rest or refreshment, if the accident happens at the person's place of employment; or
3. while the person is travelling between the person's places of employment by the most direct practicable route; or
4. while the person is attending a course of education or training for the purposes of the person's current employment, and the person receives earnings from that employment in respect of that attendance; and any such place shall be deemed to be a place of employment of that person; or
5. while the person is travelling between a place of employment and another place by the most direct practicable route for the purposes of necessary health care treatment or service of a kind for which the Corporation or the exempt employer is required or permitted to make payments under this Act, irrespective of whether or not it makes any payment in the particular case;

but does not include an injury that occurs:

1. while a person is travelling to or from the person's place of employment (other than between places of employment) unless paragraph (e) of this definition applies or the person is an employee and the transport is provided by the employer and is driven by the employer or, at the direction of the employer, by an employee of the employer or of a related or associated employer for the purpose of transporting employees; or
2. while a person is in accommodation provided by or at the expense of the employer, or by or at the expense of the injured person where the injured person is not an employee, and in either case is not performing employment duties; or
3. while the person is participating, other than at the person's place of employment, in a recreational activity provided by or at the expense of the employer or sponsored by the employer, or by or at the expense of the injured person where that person is not an employee.

Accident:

1. a specific event or series of events that involves the application of a force or resistance external to the human body and that results in personal injury, but does not include any gradual process; and the fact that a personal injury has occurred shall not of itself be construed as an indication or presumption that it was caused by such even or series of events; or
2. the inhalation or oral ingestion of any solid, liquid, gas or foreign object where the inhalation or ingestion occurs on a specific occasion; but does not include inhalation or ingestion of a virus, bacterium, protozoa, or fungi, unless that inhalation or ingestion is the result of a criminal act of another person; or
3. any exposure to the elements or extremes of temperature or environment within a defined period of time not exceeding one month that causes disability that lasts for a continuous period exceeding one month or death; or
4. any burn or exposure to radiation or rays of any kind on a specific occasion that is not a burn or exposure caused by exposure to the elements; or
5. the absorption of any chemical through the skin within a defined period of time exceeding one month.

Incapacity:

means incapacity for employment; and includes absence from employment by reason of necessary health care treatment or service of a kind for which the Corporation or an exempt employer is required or permitted to make payments either directly or indirectly (irrespective of whether or not it makes any payment in the particular case) in respect of personal injury covered by this Act.

Minimum period of absence from work: none.

Maximum period for death to be considered a fatal occupational injury: none.

Types of information compiled

(a) personal characteristics of persons injured: date of birth, sex, age at time of accident, occupation, employment status;

(b) amount of worktime lost: none;

(c) characteristics of accidents: day, month and year; cause of accident and/or injury (what went wrong); scene, activity prior to accident or injury, contact (how the injury was inflicted), geographic location, whether accident was work-related;

(d) characteristics of injuries: diagnosis, injury side, injury site, whether fatal or non-fatal;

(e) characteristics of employers or workplaces: name, location and economic activity.

Measurement of worktime lost

Classifications

(a) fatal or non-fatal accidents;

(b) extent of disability:

(c) economic activity:

(d) occupation:

(e) type of injury:

diagnosis: amputation or enucleation; burn; contusion (intact skin) including crushing; corrosive injuries; deafness or hearing loss (trauma induced hearing loss); dental injuries; dislocation; fracture; hernia; injury, internal organ; toxic or adverse effect; sprain or strain; superficial injury, not infected (laceration, not infected); superficial injury, infected (laceration, infected); scald; CVA; inhalation disease (asbestos); brucellosis; dermatitis; hepatitis; leptospirosis; other occupational disease (other gradual process disease or infection); OOS or RSI (introduced 1 July 1992); ante natal injuries; self-administered drugs or treatment; mental consequences (not valid from 1/7/92); industrial deafness; foreign body in orifice or eye; concussion (concussion or brain injury as of February 1996); mental or nervous shock; mental injury; non- occupational disease or infection; missing presumed dead; inhalation or ingestion specific occasion; additional minor bruises and lacerations (as of February 1996); no obvious injury (as of February 1996); other;

injury site: head (except face); face; eye; neck, back of head vertebrae; finger or thumb; hand or wrist; elbow; upper and lower arm; shoulder (includes clavicle and blade); back or spine except head vertebrae (invalid after 1/7/92); chest; abdomen or pelvis; hip, upper leg, thigh; knee; lower leg; ankle; foot; toes; multiple locations; lung; kidney; heart; other internal organ; nose; ear; upper back or spine; lower back or spine; unobtainable;

injury side: left, right, multiple, not available;

(f) cause of accident (what went wrong):

loss of balance or personal control (slipping, skidding on foot; tripping or stumbling; pushed or pulled; loss of consciousness, sleep or giddy; something giving way underfoot; lurching, jerks in vehicles, etc.; misjudging of support; loss of hold; struck by hand-held tool or implement; struck by person or animal; other loss of balance or personal control); loss of control of vehicle (puncture; mechanical malfunction; swerving or evasive action; skid; driving into hole, object, animal, etc.; other loss of control of vehicle); fire, explosion, etc. (fire; explosion, blasting, implosion; shooting; electrical shock or short circuit; boiling (violent and inadvertent); other fire, explosion, etc.); collapse, overturning, inundation, etc. (collapse of stack or goods in bulk; object coming loose or goods falling; collision with or knocked over by object; recoil or ejection; folding or collapse; flooding, overflow, escape of liquid; other collapse, overturning, etc.); other and unclear cause (work property or characteristics; exposure to elements; bursting, breakage, distortion; inadvertent machine or vehicle movement; lifting, stretching, carrying, strain; medical misadventure (medical treatment); criminal act; other event, unclear);

(g) duration of absence from work:

(h) characteristics of workers:

(i) characteristics of accidents:

(j) characteristics of employers or workplaces:

Crossclassifications:

Reference period

Estimates

Length of time a claim is open = closed date - date entered onto system.

Time to first payment = first payment date - date entered onto system.

Incidence rates for fatal and non-fatal injuries: number of injuries per 1,000 persons employed.

Historical background of the series

Documentation

Series available:

• economic activity
• occupation
• diagnosis
• cause
• activity
• contact
• injury site
• external agency

Bibliographic references:

Annual Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation: Annual Report (annual).

idem: Annual Injury Statistics (annual).

Because of the large volume of information collected which could be used for many cross-classifications at various levels of detail, not all the data are published. More detailed information can be made available on request, on diskette.

Data published by ILO:

Confidentiality:

International standards

Method of data collection

Legislation:

All personal injuries occurring in New Zealand caused by an accident, gradual process, disease or infection arising out of or in the course of employment, a medical misadventure, or as a consequence of treatment for personal injury are covered under the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Act. The legislation therefore covers not only occupational injuries and diseases, but also injuries due to accidents other than occupational accidents, criminal causes, etc. The claim for compensation should be submitted using the prescribed form within twelve months of the date on which the personal injury was sustained.

Reporting:

The injured person (or an authorized person acting on his behalf) completes his part of the form M46 (Claim for cover and treatment expenses) and submits it to the treating doctor or hospital for completion of the relevant parts. The form is then transmitted to the Registration Centre, which enters the details into its system, and takes the decision as to whether the claim should be accepted or rejected. The information is finally passed on to the relevant branch of the ARCI Corporation. There are a number of publications available on various aspects of the scheme.

Data reported:

Sections to be completed by the injured person or an authorized person:

1. personal details: name, date of birth, address, telephone number, whether in paid employment, occupation (if in paid employment), country of normal residence;
2. employment details: name and address of employer;
3. injury details: description of the accident; date of injury; name of doctor, hospital or dentist first treating the injury; whether a vehicle was involved; whether the injury happened at work; whether injury occurred in New Zealand or elsewhere;

Section to be completed by the doctor:

1. diagnosis or description of injuries; whether person able to resume normal duties; if not, date and duration of incapacity; whether only able to perform selected work duties; whether immediate assistance or support (e.g. home help) required;
2. type of treatment (if any).

Changes planned:

Additional information

Employers should notify the OSH as soon as is possible after the occurrence of serious harm or an accident, and provide written notice of it within seven days using the prescribed form. The OSH keeps records of these notices as an aid to investigating them. The data stored are not used for statistical purposes, and only the total number of fatalities per year for each economic activity is published in the annual report of the Department of Labour.

The following definitions are included in the Act:

• Accident: an event that:
  1. causes any person to be harmed; or
  2. in difference circumstances might have caused any person to be harmed.
• Harm: illness, injury or both.
• Serious harm: death, or serious harm as determined by the relevant authorities.