Workers’ compensation is financial compensation provided to workers who become injured or ill as a result of their work, and may include compensation to cover loss of earnings, permanent impairment, medical expenses, and workplace rehabilitation to assist them to return to work.
Any worker who suffers a work- related injury or disease requiring medical treatment or time off work is entitled to claim workers’ compensation, regardless of who was at fault.
By law, employers are required to have a current workers’ compensation insurance policy covering all their workers and a documented injury management system for their workplace. Employers must also ensure, in the event of an injury, that a workers’ compensation claim is managed in accordance with conditions outlined in the Act.
Injury management is about ensuring the prompt, safe and durable return-to-work of an injured worker. It includes treatment of the injury, rehabilitation back to work, retraining into a new skill or new job, management of the workers compensation claim and the employment practices of an employer.
Everyone involved is required to cooperate and participate in injury management, including the insurance company, employer, injured worker, treating doctor and all treating practitioners.
WEGEL (WHS & Management Services) can assist your organisation through the Worker’s Compensation and Injury Management process. We can help in effectively managing compensation claims and developing the most appropriate return to work programs for injured workers so they are able to return to work as soon as possible. The earlier an injury is treated and managed, the sooner the worker will return to work and recover from the injury. This means less downtime and lost productivity, as well as a saving in claims costs for employers.