Australian Workers Research Articles

The classification of platform workers in the australian context

This article considers the issue of classification of platform workers in Australia and it is motivated by the uncertainty that persists with this issue as well as the negative impacts that may arise for workers and platforms in such an environment. We contend that awaiting a decision of the High Court, that may provide clarification on the correct classification of platform workers, is not a preferred option for resolving the issue. Introducing a third category of worker to the existing categories – employee and independent contractor – has the potential to introduce its own complexities. Another option is a legislative intervention whereby existing legislation would be amended to deem platform workers to be employees. We argue that a better alternative is for the Australian legislature to enact a legislative definition of employee similar to that in the Employment Relations Act (New Zealand) s 6(1)(a). A principle-based approach to drafting the provision, and a purposive approach to its interpretation appear to be effective means of addressing the indeterminacy that has pervaded the platform worker classification issue in Australia.

The Association of Physiotherapy Continuity of Care with Duration of Time Loss Among Compensated Australian Workers with Low Back Pain.

The aims of this study are to determine how continuous the care provided by physiotherapists to compensated workers with low back pain is, what factors are associated with physiotherapy continuity of care (CoC; treatment by the same provider), and what the association between physiotherapy CoC and duration of working time loss is. Workers' compensation claims and payments data from Victoria and South Australia were analysed. Continuity of care was measured with the usual provider continuity metric. Binary logistic regression examined factors associated with CoC. Cox regression models examined the association between working time loss and CoC. Thirty-six percent of workers experienced complete CoC, 25.8% high CoC, 26.1% moderate CoC, and 11.7% low CoC. Odds of complete CoC decreased with increased service volume. With decreasing CoC, there was significantly longer duration of compensated time loss. Higher CoC with a physiotherapist is associated with shorter compensated working time loss duration for Australian workers with low back pain.

Sources of noise exposure across Australian workplaces: cross-sectional analysis and modelling the impact of a targeted noise-source reduction initiative.

Workplace noise regulations and guidance follow the hierarchy of control model that prioritizes eliminating or reducing noise at its source. To determine the main sources of workplace noise exposure in the Australian working population and estimate the reduction of workers exposed over the noise limit (LAeq,8h > 85 dB) if noise levels of specific tools or equipment were reduced by 10 dB. Information on the tools used and tasks performed during each participant's last working shift was collected from 4,977 workers via telephone survey. Using a predetermined database of task-based noise levels, partial noise exposures (Pa2h) were determined for each noisy activity performed by the workers and their daily noise exposure level (LAeq,8h) was estimated. Partial exposures were categorized into 15 tool/task groups and the tally, average, and sum (Pa2h) for each group were calculated. The impacts of 5 different scenarios that simulated a reduction of 10 dB in noise emissions for specific tool groups were modelled. Powered tools and equipment were responsible for 59.3% of all noise exposure (Pa2h); vehicles for 10.6%; mining, refineries, and plant equipment for 5.1%; and manufacturing and food processing for 4.2%. Modelling demonstrated that a 10 dBA noise-level reduction of all powered tools and equipment would lead to a 26.4% (95% confidence interval: 22.7% to 30.3%) reduction of workers with an LAeq,8h > 85 dB. This could represent over 350,000 Australian workers no longer exposed above the workplace limit daily. A universal reduction of 10 dB to power tools and equipment would substantially reduce the future burden of hearing loss, tinnitus, workplace injuries, and other health effects. Initiatives to reduce the noise emissions of specific powered tool groups are warranted.

"Time is a Big Factor": Aged-Care Workforce Perspectives on Communication Partner Training for Working With Residents With Dementia.

Many individuals who reside in permanent residential aged care (RAC) have a diagnosis of dementia, with the majority experiencing a communication disorder. Existing literature has placed an emphasis on the need for staff to undertake communication partner training. This study aimed to investigate the preferences of RAC staff, and their perceived barriers and facilitators to workplace training. Through an exploratory cross-sectional online survey, a sample of RAC workers in Australia were recruited (n = 104). Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of participants preferred training to be delivered face to face and being paid for participation. Through content analysis of open-ended questions, seven categories were identified regarding perceived barriers and facilitators for communication partner training in the workplace. These included staff shortages, time pressures, remuneration and training delivery method, and quality of the educators. Additionally, management attitudes were pertinent. These findings may inform the development and outcomes of future communication partner training in RAC.

The burden of working time lost to compensable occupational injury and disease in Australia, 2012-17: a retrospective population-based study.

To determine the national burden of working time lost to occupational injury and disease in Australia compensable by workers' compensation schemes; to characterise the distribution of time lost by age, sex, and injury and disease type. Retrospective population-based study; analysis of National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics (NDS) data. Granted workers' compensation claims by people aged 15-100 years including payment of wage replacement benefits for time off work lodged in Australia, 1 July 2012 - 30 June 2017. Working years lost (WYL) per annum (total number of years of wage replacement benefits paid to injured and ill workers), overall and by sex, age, and injury and disease type; WYL per 10 000 fulltime equivalent (FTE) years worked. A total of 755 330 eligible claims with complete data for analysis variables by people aged 15-100 years were identified, for compensable injuries and disease that led to 41 194 (95% confidence interval [CI], 41 020-41 368) WYL/year. The annual WYL number and rate were each higher for men (25 367 [95% CI, 25 230-25 503] WYL/year; 42.6 [95% CI, 42.1-43.1] WYL/10 000 FTE years) than for women (15 827 [95% CI, 15 720-15 935] WYL/year; 38.8 [95% CI, 38.2-39.4] WYL/10 000 FTE years). Workers aged 45-100 years made 66 742 claims per year (44.1% of all claims) but incurred 21 763 WYL/year (52.8% of all WYL). Traumatic joint and muscle injuries led to 16 494 WYL/year (40.0% of all WYL), musculoskeletal disorders to 8547 WYL/year (20.7%), mental health conditions to 5361 WYL/year (13.0%), fractures to 4276 WYL/year (10.4%), and wounds and lacerations to 3449 WYL/year (8.4%). Occupational injury and disease covered by workers' compensation result in lost working time in Australia equivalent to more than 41 000 fulltime jobs. Distribution of the burden reflects the greater labour force participation of men, slower recovery of older workers, and the impact of common occupational injuries and diseases. Population-based monitoring of lost working time could support effective occupational health surveillance and allocation of resources for protecting the health of Australian workers.

Ecological momentary assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in shift workers and non-shift workers: Validation study

ABSTRACT This study examined the criterion validity of an ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-reported physical activity and sedentary time compared with accelerometry in shift workers and non-shift workers. Australian workers (n = 102) received prompts through a mobile EMA app and wore the Actigraph accelerometer on the right hip for 7–10 days. Participants received five EMA prompts per day at 3-hour intervals on their mobile phones. EMA prompts sent to shift workers (SW-T) were tailored according to their work schedule. Non-shift workers (NSW-S) received prompts at standardised times. To assess criterion validity, the association of EMA-reported activities and the Actigraph accelerometer activity counts and number of steps were used. Participants were 36 ± 11 years and 58% were female. On occasions where participants reported physical activity, acceleration counts per minute (CPM) and steps were significantly higher (β = 1184 CPM, CI 95%: 1034, 1334; β = 20.9 steps, CI 95%: 18.2, 23.6) than each of the other EMA activities. Acceleration counts and steps were lower when sitting was reported than when no sitting was reported by EMA. Our study showed that EMA-reported physical activity and sedentary time was significantly associated with accelerometer-derived data. Therefore, EMA can be considered to assess shift workers’ movement-related behaviours with accelerometers to provide rich contextual data.

How Much Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Osteopathy Care Do Compensated Australian Workers with Low Back Pain Receive? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

To identify the prevalence and frequency of physiotherapy, chiropractic, and/or osteopathy care in Australians with workers' compensation claims for low back pain (LBP). We included workers with accepted workers' compensation claims longer than 2weeks from the Australian states of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Workers were grouped by whether they attended physiotherapy, chiropractic, and/or osteopathy in the first 2years of their claim. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to describe differences between groups. Descriptive statistics and negative binomial regression were used to describe differences in the number of attendances in each group. Most workers had at least one physical therapy attendance during the period of their claim (n = 23,619, 82.0%). Worker state, socioeconomic status, and remoteness were the largest contributing factors to likelihood of physical therapy attendance. Most workers only attended physiotherapy (n = 21,035, 89.1%, median of 13 times). Far fewer only attended chiropractic (n = 528, 2.2%, median of 8 times) or only osteopathy (n = 296, 1.3%, median of 10 times), while 1,750 (7.5%) attended for care with more than one type of physical therapy (median of 31 times). Most Australian workers with workers' compensation time loss claims for LBP attend physiotherapy at least once during their claims. State of claim is the strongest predictor of which physical therapy profession they attend, possibly due to regional availability. Workers who see a physiotherapist have significantly more attendances. Future research should explore the relationship between these patterns of care and claimant outcomes, including work disability duration.

Generalizability of a Musculoskeletal Therapist Electronic Health Record for Modelling Outcomes to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can contain vast amounts of clinical information that could be reused in modelling outcomes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Determining the generalizability of an EHR dataset is an important step in determining the appropriateness of its reuse. The study aims to describe the EHR dataset used by occupational musculoskeletal therapists and determine whether the EHR dataset is generalizable to the Australian workers' population and injury characteristics seen in workers' compensation claims. Variables were considered if they were associated with outcomes of WMSDs and variables data were available. Completeness and external validity assessment analysed frequency distributions, percentage of records and confidence intervals. There were 48,434 patient care plans across 10 industries from 2014 to 2021. The EHR collects information related to clinical interventions, health and psychosocial factors, job demands, work accommodations as well as workplace culture, which have all been shown to be valuable variables in determining outcomes to WMSDs. Distributions of age, duration of employment, gender and region of birth were mostly similar to the Australian workforce. Upper limb WMSDs were higher in the EHR compared to workers' compensation claims and diagnoses were similar. The study shows the EHR has strong potential to be used for further research into WMSDs as it has a similar population to the Australian workforce, manufacturing industry and workers' compensation claims. It contains many variables that may be relevant in modelling outcomes to WMSDs that are not typically available in existing datasets.

The Association of Physiotherapy and Opioid Use With Duration of Compensated Time Loss for Workers With Low Back Pain.

To determine patterns of physiotherapy and opioid use among compensated workers with low back pain (LBP), factors associated with these, and their association with time loss. Accepted Victorian and South Australian workers' compensation claims, services, and medicines data for LBP claims lodged June 30, 2010-July 1, 2015. Descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic, and Cox regression were used to determine usage groups, their predictors, and effect of these on time loss. Of 15,728 claims, 24.4% received no services, 3.6% received opioids only, 43.3% received physiotherapy only, and 28.8% received both opioids and physiotherapy. Sex, age, occupation, remoteness, jurisdiction, and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with usage groups. Using opioids and physiotherapy had the longest time loss. Any services/medicine usage was associated with increased time loss and was longest for combined physiotherapy and opioids.

“A Bloody Migrant Who Thinks He Can Run a Union”: The Case of Jerzy Bielski, a Migrant Trade Unionist in 1950s Australia

Jerzy Bielski, a Polish displaced person (DP) who resettled in Australia in 1949, was the first post-war migrant to work for an Australian trade union. He was recruited in 1951 by the Australian Workers Union (AWU) as a migrant unionist and, some years later, established his own migrant trade union: the New Citizens Council. The council faced heavy criticism from within the trade union movement, including by right-wing DPs who, acting as Cold War warriors, were instrumental in the Labor Party split in the mid-1950s. Ultimately, this article argues that migrant trade union activism has a longer post-war history than is commonly acknowledged.

Competencies of Filipino IT Workers in Australia and Their Level of Job Satisfaction: Basis for IT Curriculum Enhancement in the Senior High School Program

Competencies of Filipino IT Workers in Australia and Their Level of Job Satisfaction: Basis for IT Curriculum Enhancement in the Senior High School Program

Isolation, opportunity, and the ‘third place’: The experiences of Timorese seasonal workers in Australia

AbstractOrganised, temporary labour migration from the Global South to wealthier countries is a growing and sometimes problematic phenomenon. This article considers Timorese involvement in the Australian Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) in relation to this trend. Drawing primarily on semi‐structured interviews and participant observation undertaken among an interconnected group of 50 Timorese seasonal workers across Australia and Timor‐Leste between 2016 and 2021, we found that geographical and social isolation and limited leisure all proved challenges while working in Australia. In some cases, it appears that the workers were able to lean upon their own social networks and local churches as a way to mitigate these challenges. We argue that, in considering the welfare of workers in temporary migration programs such as the SWP, it is important to be aware of the role played by informal groups that are formally outside the scheme itself.

Injured worker participation in assessment during the acute phase of workers compensation rehabilitation: a scoping review.

Rates of return to work (RTW) are declining in the Australian workers compensation system alongside significant economic and social costs, disputes, and secondary psychological injury. Non-medical assessment of workplace injuries now considers psychosocial and workplace factors, and worker participation in the assessment process is limited. This scoping review examines studies regarding non-medical assessment during the acute phase of rehabilitation in terms of costs, disputes, secondary psychological injury, and worker participation. An electronic and manual search of relevant articles across four databases was conducted using PRISMA guidelines, followed by quality assessment. Of the 1,630 studies retrieved, 12 met the inclusion criteria with most focused on assessment for risk of obstructed or delayed RTW. Non-medical assessment in the acute stage of rehabilitation identifies risk for delayed or complicated RTW, overlooking potential for the process of assessment to contribute to disputes and development of secondary psychological injury. Doubt around the capacity of workers to participate objectively in assessment persists. These are aspects of assessment worthy of further exploration for their impact on RTW outcomes.

Patterns of physiotherapy attendance in compensated Australian workers with low back pain: a retrospective cohort study.

Workers with low back pain (LBP) frequently seek care from physiotherapists. We sought to identify patterns of physiotherapy attendance and factors associated with these patterns in Australian workers with accepted compensation claims for LBP. We included workers with accepted workers' compensation claims for LBP from 4 Australian states between 2011 and 2015. We used trajectory modelling to identify distinct groups of workers based on the number (ie, volume) of monthly physiotherapy attendances over a 2-year period from claim acceptance. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to compare the characteristics of the groups. A small but significant proportion attend numerous times over a long period. 79.0% of the sample (N = 22,767) attended physiotherapy at least once in the 2 years after claim acceptance. Among these, trajectory modelling identified 4 distinct patterns of attendance. Most (N = 11,808, 51.9%) recorded a short-term low-volume pattern, 26.8% (n = 6089) recorded a short-term high-volume pattern, 14.3% (n = 3255) recorded a long-term low-volume pattern, and 7.1% (n = 1615) recorded a long-term high-volume pattern. Workers from Victoria (OR 0.34, 99% CI 0.31, 0.37), South Australia (OR 0.69, 99% CI 0.60, 0.80), and Western Australia (OR 0.79, 99% CI 0.69, 0.88) were significantly less likely to attend physiotherapy than workers from Queensland. Victorian workers were significantly more likely to be in one of the 2 long-term trajectory groups (OR 8.17, 99% CI 6.86, 9.73; OR 18.68, 99% CI 13.57, 25.70). In conclusion, most compensated Australian workers with LBP attend physiotherapy. Significant interjurisdictional differences between attendance patterns suggests that policy may play an important role in healthcare delivery.

Labour Market Preferences of Retrenched Australian Auto Industry Workers for Job Quality and Meaningful Work*

This study uses stated preference experiments to examine labour market preferences of 309 workers retrenched by the Australian automotive industry for non‐pecuniary job attributes denoting job quality and meaningfulness. We find that autonomy and employer reputation for good work policies and practices are the two most important non‐pecuniary job attributes, with compensating wage differentials of roughly $5 per hour for greater autonomy and better employer reputation. Job security and skill utilisation are also important, but less so, with compensating wage differentials between $1 and $3 per hour for greater security and fewer training requirements. Workers' strongest preference is not for a particular type of work, but rather for a particular type of employer, suggesting that labour market policy might pay more attention to regulating the quality of workplaces.

Capture, Coding, and Reporting of Health Care and Medicine Information in Australian Workers' Compensation Systems.

This study aims to characterize the approaches to collecting, coding, and reporting health care and medicines data within Australian workers' compensation schemes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of data and information professionals in major Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. Questionnaires were developed with input from key informants and a review of existing documentation. Twenty-five participants representing regulators (40%) and insurers (60%) with representation from all Australian jurisdictions were included. Health care and medicines data sources, depth, coding standards, and reporting practices exhibited significant variability across the Australian workers' compensation schemes. Substantial variability exists in the capture, coding, and reporting of health care and medicine data in Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. There are opportunities to advance understanding of medicines and health service delivery in these schemes through greater harmonization of data collection, data coding, and reporting.

Psychosocial Hazards in the Northern Territory Building and Construction Industry: A Profile of Job Demands and Job Resources in a Jurisdiction and Industry with High Rates of Suicide.

The work environment for building workers in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) is characterised by concerningly high rates of distress and suicide at both a jurisdictional and an industry level. Work-related psychosocial hazards are known antecedents of work-related distress and suicide, and more research is required to understand how these hazards impact workers in this unique building context. This paper examines the unique work environment in the NT building industry by comparing psychosocial hazards in the NT with those in the broader Australian building and construction industry. When comparing 330 NT self-report survey responses about psychosocial hazards in the workplace to 773 broader Australian building industry responses, supervisor task conflict for NT workers was more concerning, at 10.9% higher than the broader Australian cohort. Within the NT sample, comparisons between fly-in and fly-out/drive-in and drive-out (FIFO/DIDO) workers and non-FIFO/DIDO workers were also performed to determine specific local psychosocial hazards. When comparing FIFO/DIDO workers' responses to their NT peers, role overload and supervisor task conflict were significantly higher, and co-worker and supervisor support were lower. In FIFO/DIDO environments, praise and recognition, procedural justice, and change consultation were at concerningly lower averages than the broader NT building and construction industry. These results suggest that the NT building and construction industry, and particularly FIFO/DIDO operations, require greater resourcing, investment, and focus on workplace mental health initiatives to improve the work environment and wellbeing of this workforce and mitigate hazards that can lead to distress and the high rates of occupational suicide found in this jurisdiction and industry.

Factors influencing adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination

ABSTRACT Various novel platform technologies have been used for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. In this nested cohort study among healthcare workers in Australia and Brazil who received three different COVID-19-specific vaccines, we (a) evaluated the incidence of adverse events following immunization (AEFI); (b) compared AEFI by vaccine type, dose and country; (c) identified factors influencing the incidence of AEFI; and (d) assessed the association between reactogenicity and vaccine anti-spike IgG antibody responses. Of 1302 participants who received homologous 2-dose regimens of ChAdOx1-S (Oxford-AstraZeneca), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or CoronaVac (Sinovac), 1219 (94%) completed vaccine reaction questionnaires. Following the first vaccine dose, the incidence of any systemic reaction was higher in ChAdOx1-S recipients (374/806, 46%) compared with BNT162b2 (55/151, 36%; p = 0.02) or CoronaVac (26/262, 10%; p < 0.001) recipients. After the second vaccine dose, the incidence of any systemic reaction was higher in BNT162b2 recipients (66/151, 44%) compared with ChAdOx1-S (164/806, 20%; p < 0.001) or CoronaVac (23/262, 9%; p < 0.001) recipients. AEFI risk was higher in younger participants, females, participants in Australia, and varied by vaccine type and dose. Prior COVID-19 did not impact the risk of AEFI. Participants in Australia compared with Brazil reported a higher incidence of any local reaction (170/231, 74% vs 222/726, 31%, p < 0.001) and any systemic reaction (171/231, 74% vs 328/726, 45%, p < 0.001), regardless of vaccine type. Following a primary course of ChAdOx1-S or CoronaVac vaccination, participants who did not report AEFI seroconverted at a similar rate to those who reported local or systemic reactions. In conclusion, we found that the incidence of AEFI was influenced by participant age and COVID-19 vaccine type, and differed between participants in Australia and Brazil.

Barriers and enablers of dementia training in healthcare workers in rural and remote Australia: A scoping review to inform future approaches to training.

Dementia is now responsible for the greatest burden of disease of any chronic illness in older Australians. Rural and remote communities bear the impacts of this disproportionately. Additional training and education for healthcare staff to support people living with dementia is needed. The objective of this scoping review was to map and synthesise the evidence related to barriers and enablers of accessing dementia training for Australian healthcare workers located in rural and remote areas. This scoping review systematically searched multiple databases in January 2023 for peer-reviewed literature on the topic. Reviewers used Covidence to screen titles and abstracts of located sources, and to screen full-text articles. From 187 articles screened, seven peer-reviewed journal articles were included in the final data analysis; all were from Australia or Canada. The most common barrier described was low staffing, precluding release of staff for dementia training. Enablers to participation in dementia training were availability of online training programs, as well as training providers collaborating with end users to ensure the training met their learning needs. This review provides evidence of barriers and enablers specific to rural and remote healthcare workers accessing dementia training. It also explores other approaches to training that have been trialled successfully in different settings. Addressing the identified barriers and enablers may assist in developing training approaches appropriate for existing staff, and in meeting training needs for the future workforce.

Patterns of Mental Health Service Use in Australian Workers with Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

To describe the volume, timing and provider of mental health services provided to workers with accepted low back pain (LBP) claims, and to identify determinants of service volume and time to first mental health service. Using claim and service-level workers' compensation data from four Australian states (Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria) for LBP claims with at least one mental health service lodged between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2015. Mental health services occurring 30 days prior to 730 days following claim acceptance were examined. Outcomes were number of mental health services and time (weeks) from claim acceptance to first service, calculated overall, by provider and interaction type, and by independent variables (age group, sex, time loss duration, financial year of lodgement, jurisdiction, socioeconomic status, remoteness). Negative binomial and Cox regression models examined differences between service volume and time to first service by independent variables, respectively. Of workers with LBP claims who accessed mental health services, psychologist services were most common (used by 91.2% of workers) and 16% of workers saw multiple provider types. Number of services increased with time loss duration, as did time to first service. Victorian workers had the most services, yet accessed them latest. Psychologist services were most common, longer duration claims used more mental health services but accessed them later, and there were a number of jurisdictional differences. Results suggest opportunities for workers' compensation authorities to provide, to those who may benefit, greater and earlier access to mental health care.