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:

See ‘Calculation of full-day equivalent working days lost estimates and rates’ for details of the method for adjusting the reported days off work to full-day equivalent days off work.
The estimate includes days lost due to all workplace injuries not just workplace injuries resulting in 4 or more days off work (unlike the injury incidence estimates).

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:

See ‘Calculation of full-day equivalent working days lost estimates and rates’ for details of the method for adjusting the number of workers to full-time equivalent workers

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 collects employment-related information about the current or most recent job in the last 8 years.

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

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