The Medical journal of Australia
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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. ⋯ 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.