Measures of working days lost: Definitions and formulae
For working days lost, the LFS gives estimates and rates of the total number of days off work due to work-related illness and/or workplace injury where:
- Working days lost are expressed as full-day equivalent (FDE) days to allow for variation in daily hours worked and includes days lost due to all non-fatal injuries (excluding injuries caused by road accidents) and all work-related illness (new and long standing cases)
- Working days lost due to work-related illness is a measure of the total time lost due to all episodes of the illness over the 12 month reference period whereas working days lost due to workplace injury is a measure of the elapsed time between injury and returning to work and does not include any subsequent time taken off work
- Rates presented are in the form of average annual working days lost (full-day equivalent) per case of work-related illness or workplace injury and average annual working days lost (full-day equivalent) per full-time equivalent worker
The formulae used to calculate the various measures of working days lost are given by:
| Estimated annual full-day equivalent working days lost | = | The estimated number of full-day equivalent working days lost due to workplace injury (excluding injuries caused by road accidents) and/or work-related illness for people employed in the 12 month reference period Note:
|
| Estimated average annual FDE working days lost per case | = |
Estimated annual FDE working days lost Estimated number of people with a work-related injury or illness, in the 12 month period, who worked in the same period |
| Estimated average annual FDE working days lost per full-time equivalent (FTE) worker | = |
Estimated annual FDE working days lost Estimated number of FTE workers in 12 month reference period Note:
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The above formulae are refined slightly for days lost estimates by employment-related variables (such as occupation or industry), to account for the fact that the LFS only provides detailed information about the job in which the illness was ascribed to and/or injury was sustained in if it was the respondent's current (including second job) or most recent job in the last 12 months. [Although in estimates by employment-related variables, cases occurring in the second job are excluded. This is because the very small number of cases reported against the second job do not warrant the added complexity of allowing for second jobs in the calculations].
Estimated annual full-day equivalent working days lost due to illness ascribed and/or injury sustained in current or most recent job |
= |
The estimated number of full-day equivalent working days lost due to workplace injury (excluding injuries caused by road accidents) and/or work-related illness sustained in/ascribed to current or most recent job, for people employed in the 12 month reference period |
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Estimated average annual FDE working days lost per full-time equivalent (FTE) worker |
= |
Estimated annual FDE working days lost due to illness ascribed to and/or injury sustained in current or most recent job Estimated number of FTE workers in 12 month reference period |