WHS Incident Cost Calculator

The WHS incident cost calculator estimates direct and indirect costs of a workplace injury or near-miss using your site inputs and Australian benchmark defaults — use it to build a business case for safety software investment before your next board review.

Lost time (days)

Average daily wage (AUD)

Medical and rehab costs (AUD)

Equipment / property damage (AUD)

Internal investigation hours

Investigator hourly rate (AUD)

Replacement labour (days)

Replacement daily cost (AUD)

Indirect cost multiplier

Include potential fine exposure (scenario)

Estimated incident cost

Direct — lost wages: $5,040
Direct — investigation: $7,400
Direct — replacement labour: $5,200
Total direct costs: $26,140
Indirect costs (×3.5): $91,490
Total estimated cost: $117,630

Formula: Direct = wages + medical + equipment + investigation + replacement. Indirect = Direct × multiplier. Fine optional. Not legal or insurance advice.

How the incident cost formula works

Direct costs = (lost time days × average daily wage) + medical and rehabilitation + equipment damage + (investigation hours × hourly rate) + (replacement days × replacement daily cost).

Indirect costs = direct costs × your multiplier. Safe Work Australia and academic studies often cite 3–5× multipliers covering supervisor time, lost morale, schedule delay, and retraining^[1].

Optional fines apply Victorian maximum corporate penalties as scenarios only — actual prosecutions depend on offence category and court discretion^[2].

Worked example: sprained ankle on a construction site

Marcus, HSE manager at a Melbourne civil JV, modelled a 12-day lost-time ankle injury: $420 daily wage, $8,500 medical, 40 investigation hours at $185/hr, 10 replacement days at $520. Direct cost ≈ $24,580. At 3.5× indirect → $86,030. Total ≈ $110,610 before any fine scenario — enough to justify a $95k HammerTech implementation against a single preventable lost-time injury.

Benchmark table — default inputs

Calculator defaults, June 2026 — override for your enterprise agreement
Input	Default	Source
Average construction daily wage	$420 AUD	ABS + EBA blends
Serious injury medical (median)	$8,500 AUD	Safe Work Australia
Indirect multiplier	3.5×	Industry studies
Category 2 fine (scenario)	$760,000 AUD	WorkSafe Victoria

Caveats and limitations

This tool does not replace legal, insurance, or actuarial advice. Fine scenarios use maximum penalties — most prosecutions settle below max. Psychological injury and reputational costs are not modelled. For board packs, triangulate with your workers compensation claims history.

FAQ

Default rates draw on Safe Work Australia serious injury cost estimates and WorkSafe Victoria prosecution fine ranges, adjusted for your industry multiplier. You can override any field.

Optional — toggle "Include potential fine exposure" to add a scenario fine based on offence category. Actual fines vary by case.

Research often cites 3–5× multipliers for lost productivity, retraining, and morale. We default to 3.5× but you can adjust.

Yes — export figures are indicative for budgeting software investment. Pair with your insurer and legal counsel for precise reserves.

References

Safe Work Australia. “The cost of work-related injury and illness.” 2024. Accessed 26 Jun 2026. www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
WorkSafe Victoria. “Penalties and offences.” Jun 2026. Accessed 26 Jun 2026. www.worksafe.vic.gov.au