Legislative Update (Issue 25)

Workplace Health & Safety: Managing Your Workplace Injury Claims…

The CMPA Project Manager attended a WorkSafe briefing in late 2005 which focused on how injury claims are managed by Work Cover and how businesses can better manage their workplace injury claims. The presentation was delivered by the rehabilitation and compensation arm of the VWA.

With Agents (including Wyatt Gallagher Bassett, Cambridge, QBE, CGU, Allianz, and JLT) dealing directly with employers and injured parties, Work Cover has a very limited ability to directly effect claims, their frequency, or duration. Recent history however has seen an increased presence by Work Cover in this area.

The first area of concern has been the duration of claims. In order to reduce this, Work Cover has worked with employers to ensure they better understand how to prepare “Return to Work Plans” (training is available); and has worked with medical providers to encourage them to provide only medical treatment targeted at getting people better and back on full duties.

As a result of such statistics decreasing over the last few years, the cost of the scheme is being reduced. This in turn, reduces Work Cover’s expenses with employer’s seeing a reduction in their premiums.

Last year for instance, they dropped by 10%, with a further 10% reduction planned for 2005/06.

Premiums can be further reduced by an individual business reducing the number of incidents that occur (through management of health and safety) and by returning injured persons back to work as soon as possible.

It may be appropriate for Members to consider ‘Return to Work Coordinator’ training if they deal with such claims on a regular basis.

Otherwise, it is always important to remember that prevention is better than cure.

Sarah Andrew
Project Manager, CMPA

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