Aviation Industry Statistics

The aviation and transport industry is one of the many high-risk industries around the world. How health and safety is managed in the air and on the ground is critical.

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Did you know…

• With some 58 million jobs across the globe and $2.4 trillion in economic activity dependent on the aviation sector its safety is critical to the health of the global economy
• There were nearly 230 aircraft involved in accidents in Australia between 2016-2017, with 291 involved in a serious incident
• Commercial air transport operations experienced one fatality from 15 accidents; general aviation experienced 10 fatalities from 119 accidents; and recreational aviation had 10 fatalities from 63 accidents
• By 2050 it is estimated that some 16 billion passengers will need to be flown yearly
• In 2016, the increased availability and use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) saw them surpass helicopters as the second highest aircraft type for reported accidents
• 7 deaths in Electricity, gas, water & waste services in Australia in 2016
• 1,255 serious claims in Electricity, gas, water and waste services in Australia in 2013-2014
• 205 fatalities nationally each year; 36% vehicle incidents, 13% falls from height, and 21% of fatalities were truck drivers
• 115, 400 serious workers’ compensation claims made each year; 16% of which were as a result of muscular stress while lifting, carrying, and handling objects; and 29% of serious claims were made by labourers
• In WA, 30 workers are killed each year; where vehicle incidents account for 35%, 12% are hit by falling objects, and more than 1/3 are workers aged 35 and under
• Eight work-related traumatic injury fatalities were recorded during the five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16 in relation to falls from a height
• During 2011-12 a total of 121 459 days were lost from work due to falls from heights at an estimated cost of $71 732 509. Figures have fallen to 117 608 days lost from work at an estimated cost of $63 865 610 in 2015-16p – this equates to around 107 days lost per LTI/D at an estimated cost of $58 325 (where LTI/Ds refer to lost time injuries and diseases where one or more days/shifts have been lost from work as a result of a workplace incident)
• Knees, ankles, shoulders and lower back continue to be the areas of the body most affected by Falls from a height LTI/Ds
• A total number of 248 258 days were lost during 2015-16p at an estimated cost of $138 949 830 which equates to around 86 days lost per LTI/D at an estimated cost of $47 881. Compared to 2011-12, these figures have risen by seven days lost and by an extra $6 383 per LTI/D
• The age group responsible for the greatest proportion of LTI/Ds for the mechanism Falls on the same level during 2015-16p is the 45-54 age group (26% or 749 LTI/Ds). Over the five-year reporting period, this age group accounted for 27% (or 3 936 LTI/Ds) of injuries from Falls on the same level
• Body stressing remains the most common cause of injury in Australia, where these injuries accounted for more than a third (37.6%) of all LTI/Ds in Western Australia during 2015-16p (6 357 LTI/Ds)
• Muscular stress while handling objects other than lifting, carrying or putting down LTI/Ds decreased 11.8% during 2015-16p compared to 2011-12 (from 3 836 to 3 382 incidences) while Muscular stress while lifting, carrying or putting down objects LTI/Ds fell 13.8% (from 2 517 in 2011-12 to 2 169 in 2015-16p)
•  73% of trips and falls are caused by inattentiveness and distraction
• Work-related injury and disease cost the Australian community $61.8 billion in a year
• Workers forget up to 50% of what they learn in employee training sessions within an hour without revisiting the material; within a day that grows to 70%, and within a month it goes up to 90%
• 43% of serious injuries involve traumatic joint/ligament and muscle/tendon injury
• The median amount of compensation paid for a serious claim is $10,800

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