success@bramwellpartners.com.au
Brisbane 07 3630 5695
Australia’s rules for keeping work sites safe just got better.
Safe Work Australia has stopped using the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) tool, which many safety experts used for years to check on safety. Now, we have a new, stronger system—the Workers’ Compensation Injury Frequency Rates (WCIFR) dashboard. This change is more than just an update. It’s a chance to think again about how we look at safety, see the risks, and how groups use facts to keep their people and their work safe.
Why LTIFR Stopped Being Used
The LTIFR tool was once good—it made it easy to keep a count of time-lost hours per million work hours. Many liked it, it was simple to get to, and it got used a lot in talks, safety goals, and rule plans. Yet, as groups and safety steps got better, this way of counting began to fall short. •
- It only looked at injuries that made people miss work.
- It missed close calls, small hurts, or long-term health harms.
- Small numbers could mess the results, more so in groups with few claims or tiny teams.
- It did not show what was true across all work fields or areas.
Knowing these weak spots, Safe Work Australia asked many and made a deeper and more detailed data tool.
Meet WCIFR: A Smarter, Wider Safety Score
The new Workers’ Compensation Injury Frequency Rates (WCIFR) view is now up on Safe Work Australia’s site. It lets groups dig into deep, rich safety facts for all work types and times. To dig into LTIFR-like info:
- Head to https://data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/interactive-data/topic/workers-compensation-injury-frequency-rates.
- Pick ‘Compare WCIFR by Industry’.
- Click on the ‘Lost time claims’ choice under Claims Type.
The view shows claim counts per million work hours, just as LTIFR did, but now has:
- Many claim kinds (like medical-only, fatal, lost time)
- Full lists by job type and work
- Live charts that track changes through time. It’s more than just a tool—it’s a key aid for making choices.
How Safety Numbers Lead to Smarter Company Choices
The real worth of WCIFR—and any safety info—reaches past just following rules. When put to good use, these numbers guide top decision-making that moulds culture, work, and plans. Here’s how:
- Checking Performance With WCIFR, bosses can look at their group’s hurt rates compared to what is normal in the work field. This lets leaders look at things like:
- Are we doing better than others?
- Is what we’re doing for safety making a change?
- Are there certain areas or jobs where we’re lagging?
These points are key for reports to the board, safety papers, and putting money into WHS gains.
- Focusing Help Where It’s Needed Metrics show where troubles pop up—by unit, role, or time. Instead of wide rules, bosses can send help and training to spots that need it most. It’s like choosing a target rather than just firing everywhere.
- Watching Patterns and Guessing Danger By checking WCIFR year after year, groups can spot patterns and new risks. If the numbers go up in one job, it might mean problems with tools, being too tired, or not enough training. Looking far ahead helps bosses not just react to bad things but avoid them.
- Making Safety Strong When all knows the safety facts, and they are right and shared, it makes everyone responsible. Workers feel they are heard. Bosses get the info. High-ups are sure that safety is key, not just a number.
Change Can Be Hard—But You Don't Need to Go Through It on Your Own
Taking on a new safety report system isn’t only about tech; it’s about changing how you think.
It means seeing data in new ways, asking good questions, and shifting how you look at wins. This is where Bramwell Partners steps in. We help companies, big and small, to:
- Make sense of WCIFR data for their work
- Compare their work with the newest industry data
- Set up dashboards that make hard data easy to use
- Keep up with laws and rules
- Teach teams to use numbers in ways that work well. No matter if you work in building, health, teaching, or making things, if you handle teams and dangers, this data is key.
Let’s Turn Your WHS Data into Direction
The retirement of the LTIFR calculator isn’t a loss, it’s a chance to upgrade your approach to safety. With the right tools and the right support, WCIFR can help you lead a safer, smarter, and more resilient workplace.
Bramwell Partners Can Help You Make That Shift With Clarity & Confidence!
At Bramwell Partners our expert WHS and compliance team have a broad range of experience consulting different industries, implementing safety initiatives and gathering safety data to help leaders make informed decisions. With a tailored approach, our team will get to know your business and identify how you may best gather data and which kind of data may be most beneficial for your safety goals.
Simply call our Brisbane office on (07) 3630 5695 or email success@bramwellpartners.com.au for a free consultation today!
