WorkSafe ACT has recommended higher workers’ compensation premiums for the construction industry in response to its poor accident record.

The average premium across all industries is to hold steady at about 2.5% of wages next financial year, but the suggested rate for jobs such as bricklaying, roofing and concreting is much higher – 11.89%, up from 10.4%.

“By any measure a premium rate of more than 10% is extraordinarily high and logic says that is a risky business,” ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

The territory has the second-worst record for serious injuries nationally, he says.

An independent inquiry into safety in the ACT construction industry recently reported its findings.

It says the sector recognises it has a poor record and it must act to change this. The industry has signed up to targeting a 35% reduction in serious injuries by 2016.

The inquiry was launched after four fatalities in one year.

The ACT workers’ compensation scheme is set by insurers, but the recommended rates form the basis of negotiations with employers.