The release today of a report titled Are People With Disability at Risk at Work? shows that workers with a disability are not an increased occupational health and safety risk.
The 2005 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) report WORKability: Barriers identified employers concerns about Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks as an obstacle for people with disability entering and remaining in the workforce.
HREOC’s Commissioner responsible for Disability Discrimination, Mr Graeme Innes AM, said that employing people with disability is a positive experience, yet there is unfounded concern about OHS risks for business when employing people with disability.
“Employer concern about increased risk of occupational injury for this group of people meant that the perception of increased risk needed to be reviewed, and I commend the Australian Safety and Compensation Council in undertaking that assessment,” Mr Innes said.
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) undertook research in response to the WORKability: Barriers report as part of its comprehensive research programme.
Releasing the report Are People With Disability at Risk at Work? today, ASCC chairman Mr Bill Scales said the research found that workers with a disability have on average, a lower number of OHS incidents and have lower workers’ compensation costs, in comparison to other employees.
“Contrary to common perceptions by employers that people with disability pose an increased OHS risk in their workplace, our research shows that the opposite is true,” Mr Scales said.
“In reality, the productivity of employees with disability is similar to that of employees with no disability. Studies show that workers with disability have on average, a higher retention rate than workers without disability, leading to reduced costs for employers.”
“Employers cite an increased risk of workers’ compensation claims as a major barrier to employing people with disability, yet there is no evidence available to support this concern,” said Commissioner Innes.
Mr Scales noted that the research also shows that if the workplace needs to be modified for workers with a disability, the cost of workplace modification is quite low and that the economic benefits of employing people with disability exceeded the cost of the workplace modification.
I would encourage all employers to consider the benefits of employing people with disability,” Mr Scales said.
It is estimated that over two million working age Australians have a disability, representing 17 per cent of working aged Australians. As current skills and labour shortages threaten to undermine Australia’s economic growth, the Australian Government is developing strategies to optimise workforce participation, including employment of people with disability.
A copy of the report can be downloaded from ascc.gov.au.
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