EXPLANATORY NOTES
INTRODUCTION
1 The statistics presented in this publication were compiled from data collected in the Multi-Purpose Household Survey (MPHS) that was conducted throughout Australia in the 2005-06 financial year as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). The MPHS was designed to provide statistics annually for a small number of labour, social and economic topics. The topics collected in 2005-06 were:
- Work-Related Injuries (WRI)
- Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
- Sports Attendance
- Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events
- Household Use of Information Technology
2 For all topics, information on labour force characteristics, education, income and other demographics are also available. In addition to this publication, data from the 2005-06 MPHS will also be released as an expanded Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF) early in 2007.
3 The publication Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) contains information about survey design, scope, coverage and population benchmarks relevant to the monthly LFS, which also applies to the MPHS. It also contains definitions of demographic and labour force characteristics, and information about telephone interviewing relevant to both the monthly LFS and MPHS.
CONCEPTS SOURCES AND METHODS
4 The conceptual framework used in Australia's LFS aligns closely with the standards and guidelines set out in Resolutions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians. Descriptions of the underlying concepts and structure of Australia's labour force statistics, and the sources and methods used in compiling these estimates, are presented in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001) which is also available on the ABS web site <https://www.abs.gov.au> (Methods, Classifications, Concepts & Standards).
COLLECTION METHODOLOGY
5 ABS interviewers conducted personal interviews by either telephone or at selected dwellings during the 2005-06 financial year. Each month a sample of approximately 1,600 dwellings were selected for the main MPHS sample and a further 1,600 dwellings were selected for the extra WRI sample. In these dwellings, after the LFS had been fully completed for each person in the household, a usual resident aged 15 years and over was selected at random and asked the additional MPHS questions in a personal interview. Information for this survey was collected using Computer Assisted Interviewing (CAI), whereby responses are recorded directly onto an electronic questionnaire in a notebook computer.
SCOPE
6 The scope of the LFS is restricted to people aged 15 years and over and excludes the following:
- members of the permanent defence forces
- certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, customarily excluded from census and estimated population counts
- overseas residents in Australia
- members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants).
7 In addition the 2005-06 work-related injuries topic included in the MPHS excluded the following:
- people living in very remote parts of Australia
- people living in non-private dwellings such as hotels, university residences, students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, residents of homes (e.g. retirement homes, homes for people with disabilities), and inmates of prisons
- visitors to private dwellings.
8 The 2005-06 MPHS was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded people living in very remote parts of Australia. The exclusion of these people will have only a minor impact on any aggregate estimates that are produced for individual states and territories, except the Northern Territory where such people account for around 23% of the population.
COVERAGE
9 In the LFS, coverage rules are applied which aim to ensure that each person is associated with only one dwelling and hence has only one chance of selection in the survey. See Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) for more details.
SAMPLE SIZE
10 The initial total sample for the work-related injuries topic included in the MPHS 2005-06 consisted of approximately 37,700 private dwelling households, which is approximately double the standard MPHS sample. Of the 32,270 private dwelling households that remained in the survey after sample loss (i.e. households with LFS non-response, no residents in scope for the LFS or work-related injuries topic, vacant or derelict dwellings and dwellings under construction), approximately 91% were fully responding to the work-related injuries topic. The number of completed interviews obtained from these private dwelling households (after taking into account the scope, coverage and subsampling exclusions) was 29,235 (14,219 for the main sample and 15,016 for the extra WRI sample).
ESTIMATION METHODS
11 Weighting is the process of adjusting results from a sample survey to infer results for the total in scope population. To do this, a 'weight' is allocated to each sample unit, which, for the MPHS, can either be a person or a household. The weight is a value which indicates how many population units are represented by the sample unit. The first step in calculating weights for each unit is to assign an initial weight, which is the inverse of the probability of being selected in the survey. The initial weights are then calibrated to align with independent estimates of the population of interest, referred to as 'benchmarks'. Weights are calibrated against population benchmarks to ensure that the survey estimates conform to the independently estimated distribution of the population rather than the distribution within the sample itself.
12 The survey was benchmarked to the estimated civilian population aged 15 years and over living in private dwellings in each state and territory, excluding the scope exclusions listed under Explanatory Notes 6 to 8. The process of weighting ensures that the survey estimates conform to person benchmarks by state, part of state, age and sex, and to household benchmarks by state, part of state and household composition. These benchmarks are produced from estimates of the resident population derived independently of the survey.
RELIABILITY OF THE ESTIMATES
13 Estimates in this publication are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors:
- sampling error is the difference between the published estimate and the value that would have been produced if all dwellings had been included in the survey. For more information see the Technical Note.
- non-sampling errors are inaccuracies that occur because of imperfections in reporting by respondents and interviewers, and errors made in coding and processing data. These inaccuracies may occur in any enumeration, whether it be a full count or a sample. Every effort is made to reduce the non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers, and effective processing procedures.
CLASSIFICATIONS USED
14 Occupation data are classified according to the ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition, 1997 (cat. no. 1220.0).
15 Industry data are classified according to the ANZSIC - Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, 1993 (cat. no. 1292.0).
16 Country of birth data are classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 1998 (cat. no. 1269.0).
17 Educational attainment data are classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) (cat. no. 1272.0).
18 Work-related injuries data are classified according to Type of Occurrence Classifications System (TOOCS) Office of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council. See Appendix 1 for more information.
COMPARABILITY WITH MONTHLY LFS STATISTICS
19 Due to differences in the scope and sample size of the MPHS and that of the LFS, the estimation procedure may lead to some variations between labour force estimates from this survey and those from the LFS.
PREVIOUS SURVEYS
20 The Work-Related Injuries Survey was last conducted in September 2000, see Work-Related Injuries, Australia (cat. no. 6324.0).
21 Due to changes in the collection methodology of the Work-Related Injuries Survey, users should exercise caution when comparing estimates from the 2005-06 survey with previous surveys. The following is a summary of the methodological differences between the September 2000 survey and the 2005-06 survey:
- In the 2005-06 MPHS, work-related injuries data was collected for one randomly selected household member in a personal interview. In contrast, in September 2000 the data was collected for all household members in scope and was provided by one adult member of the household (any responsible adult methodology).
- In 2005-06, survey respondents were specifically asked to include any injuries or illnesses that occurred at work, travelling to and from work, or while on any work breaks. In September 2000, respondents were not specifically asked to include injuries or illnesses which occurred during these periods.
- In 2005-06, recurring injuries or illnesses were only included if the first occurrence was in the last 12 months. In September 2000, aggravation of an existing injury or illness was included if the aggravation was experienced while at work in the last 12 months.
- Any injury or illness suffered by an employee resulting from disciplinary action taken against the employee or failure by the employee to obtain a promotion, transfer or benefit in connection with his or her employment, was included in 2005-06 but excluded in September 2000.
- For 2005-06, the estimates are based on data collected over the 12 months from July 2005 to June 2006, compared with only one month in September 2000.
22 These changes may have contributed to the increase in the number of work-related injuries or illnesses reported in 2005-06 compared with those reported in 2000.
WORK-RELATED INJURIES, Comparison 2000 and 2005/06 |
|  |
| | | September 2000 | 2005/06 | September 2000 | 2005/06 | |
| | | '000 | '000 | % | % | |
| |
| Males | | | | | |
| Experienced a work-related injury or illness | 323.9 | 437.6 | 6.0 | 7.4 | |
| | Employed in the reference week | 304.2 | 410.8 | 5.6 | 7.0 | |
| Worked at some time in the last 12 months | 5 418.5 | 5 894.3 | . . | . . | |
| Females | | | | | |
| Experienced a work-related injury or illness | 154.0 | 251.9 | 3.6 | 5.1 | |
| | Employed in the reference week | 143.7 | 231.4 | 3.4 | 4.7 | |
| Worked at some time in the last 12 months | 4 268.7 | 4 944.3 | . . | . . | |
| Persons | | | | | |
| Experienced a work-related injury or illness | 477.8 | 689.5 | 4.9 | 6.4 | |
| | Employed in the reference week | 447.9 | 642.2 | 4.6 | 5.9 | |
| Worked at some time in the last 12 months | 9 687.3 | 10 838.6 | . . | . . | |
| |
| . . not applicable |
NEXT SURVEY
23 The ABS is planning to conduct the Work-Related Injuries topic again during the 2009-10 financial year. The topics included in the 2006-07 MPHS are:
- Household Use of IT
- Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation
- Retirement and Retirement Intentions
- Family Transitions and History and Family Characteristics
- Adult learning
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
24 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated: without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
25 ABS publications which may also be of interest include:
26 The following may also be of interest:
27 Current publications and other products released by the ABS are listed in the Catalogue of Publications and Products (cat. no. 1101.0). The Catalogue is available from any ABS office or the ABS web site. The ABS also issues a daily Release Advice on the web site which details products to be released in the week ahead.
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