Falls from plasterers' work platforms in Australia

Plasterers are over-represented in falls-related injury data. When accessing work at height, it is common for plasterers to use stilts, trestles, scaffolds and ladders (as well as other conveniently available items) as work platforms. To determine the prevalence of injuries sustained through the use of work platforms, a review of workers compensation claims recorded between 31 July 2002 and 30 September 2007 in New South Wales and Victoria was undertaken. During this period, 283 workers compensation claims (costing A$ 19.3m) were recorded. The greatest number of falls was from ladders, followed by scaffolds and trestles. Sixty-one claims (costing A$1.5m) were made for injuries sustained while alighting (stepping off) platforms. Very few injury reports implicated stilts. It is possible that this is associated with the veracity of the data within the claims databases or an under-reporting phenomenon. The findings have implications for policy formulation and demonstrate the need for empirical research that is not dependent on injury data. http://researchonline.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/38813