Geelong WorkSafe claims remain above 1300, healthcare workers most at risk

A Torquay man would still be working if it wasn’t for an injury he sustained on the job, as more than 1300 WorkSafe claims were made in the Geelong area last financial year.

Joe, not his real name, suffers chronic pain and was forced to retire due to injuries he sustained at work. Picture: Alison Wynd

WorkSafe received 1303 claims from people in Geelong region for 2023-24, just two less than the year prior, new data has revealed.

There were three workplace fatalities — the same as the year prior.

People working in healthcare and social assistance continue to be those most likely injured at work in the Geelong area.

More than 250 claims were made by those in the industry to WorkSafe in the 2023-24 financial year.

WorkSafe data revealed the second and third most claims by industry were construction and public administration and safety, with 194 and 141 claims respectively.

The three most common injuries were musculoskeletal (403 claims), traumatic tendon, muscle and ligament injury (224 claims) and mental injury (210 claims), with top causes of body stressing, falls, slips and trips and being hit by a moving object.

A Torquay man was forced into retirement and experiences chronic pain and numbness in his wrists and hands after a prolonged injury sustained through his work.

Joe, not his real name, was in meat wholesale before he decided to work for a large supermarket in the butchering department at 62 years old.

After 18 months he developed carpal tunnel syndrome.

“It was different to anything I had encountered before because it was a lot of unloading and stacking shelves,” he said.

He said some crates had to be hit to be collapsed which was difficult and jarring if it didn't collapse the first time around.

“The repetitive motion of unloading into fridges and then onto shelves certainly contributed to the problems,” he said.

A Torquay man was forced to retire early due to injuries he sustained at work. Picture: Alison Wynd

The now 68-year-old stopped working in mid-2019 after having surgery for the carpal tunnel and a bone fusion in his right wrist.

“It locks your hand in place so I didn’t do the left one because I needed at least one wrist with a bit of flexibility,” he said.

“I had a reaction to the plates from the fusion so healing was significant and frustrating.”

Joe said he received little empathy and while was recommended for light duties continued to put in the hours.

“I’m old school and felt guilty if I didn’t go to work, plus you’re made to feel like you have to come in because no one can replace you,” he said.

“I probably wouldn’t have retired yet, I’m a bit of a workaholic and I do get quite bored.”

Slater and Gordon senior associate Sarah Elseidy said Geelong was a city booming with developing infrastructure, and unfortunately with that, came unsafe work practices.

“We have seen a trend in workplace injuries on construction sites,” she said.

Ms Elseidy said in her experience mental health was as common a part of a worker’s injury on WorkCover as physical.

“It’s important for us to talk about mental health issues and psychological injuries,” she said.

“No matter where you are in Victoria or the country if you’re injured at work, that injury usually carries a degree of trauma from that experience.

“What’s worse, is when a worker’s injury is dismissed or disregarded by their employer it can often make the psychological injury worse.”

Ms Elseidy said when someone was injured at work they should receive treatment from a GP or relevant specialist and keep a physical copy of all medical records and inform their employer.

She said people should also seek legal advice about their entitlements.

Originally published as Geelong WorkSafe claims remain above 1300, healthcare workers most at risk