Between 2017 and 2018, there were a total of 107,335 serious workplace injury claims in Australia. Work compensation claims can happen when there has been a serious injury or accident at work and you were not to blame. What’s My Claim Worth can help you seek Workers Compensation for:

  • Injuries that restrict you from performing your day to day work duties
  • Injuries that prevent you from working full-time or part-time
  • Illness or disease brought on or aggravated by your workplace conditions
  • Hearing loss, psychological disorders, and degenerative diseases caused by your workplace environment.

Workers Compensation may be claimed if you’ve been injured at work on your way to and from. Beyond physical injury, you may also be entitled to Workers Compensation if you are suffering damage and distress from workplace harassment and bullying.

The eligibility criteria for workers compensation

There are various criteria that must be met when making a worker’s compensation claim. There can be varying kinds of workplace injuries that would lead to a compensation claim. These can be:

  • Injured on your way to work,
  • Workplace health and safety, 
  • Scaffolding,
  • Bullying and harassment at work,
  • Stress at work, 
  • Hearing loss, etc. 

Should you need to make workplace health and safety claim, there are processes to complete beforehand. All workers in Australia are covered by WorkCover; compulsory insurance. Workplaces across Australia must provide this insurance to all of its full-time, part-time, and casual workers; it is often referred to as ‘workers compensation’.

To make a WorkCover claim in New South Wales, you need to follow these steps:

  • See your doctor for any necessary treatments, and also to give them details about your injury
  • Report the injury to your employer. This has to be done within thirty days of your injury, or your claim may be rejected.
  • You can do this by making an entry with your workplace injury book. Every workplace must have an injury book by law. 
  • Submit your claim to WorkCover.
  • If you do not need time off, but want WorkCover to pay for any expenses relating to your injury, make sure that when you lodge the claim, you attach all accounts and invoices necessary.
  • If you need time off work, make sure you attach your doctor’s note advising the length of time. Both claim and doctor’s certificate should be sent as soon as possible.

What are the three most common claims for Worker’s Compensation?

According to a 2018-2019 report SafeWork Australia, there is a higher percentage of certain claims than others. For example:

  • 36% were caused by stress to the body,
  • 23% were caused by falls, trips, and slips,
  • 16% were caused by being hit by moving objects.

The three occupations with the highest rates of serious claims are:

  • Labourers with 16.4% of claims,
  • Community and personal service workers with 11.9% of claims,
  • Machiner operators and drivers with 10.4% of claims.

How to prevent workers compensations claims

One way to ensure that a workplace is kept both safe and healthy is by having clear processes and checklists. For example, by having a clear Occupational Health and Safety policy is a way for an employer to ensure that employees have a guide that they can follow and implement. These Occupational Health and Safety policies should be kept as up to date as possible and be easily accessible for employees; the number of policies required by the workplace will fully depend on the type of tasks involved with the work and what risks there are associated with the work. Common Occupational Health and Policies include:

  • Consulting with workers on Workplace health and safety,
  • Monitoring the conditions of the workplace,
  • Information and training for workers,
  • Resolving any workplace health and safety issues.

Other ways to ensure a safe and healthy workplace is created and maintained is through a Safety Data Sheet, or Material Safety Data Sheet. This is a document that provides information on any hazardous or dangerous materials that might be used within the workplace. It is designed to keep workers safe when potentially coming into contact with such materials.

Finally, a Code of Practice should be used by your workplace to ensure that workers are given guidance on how to achieve workplace health and safety.

If you are looking to make a worker’s compensation claim, we are here to help. What’s My Claim Worth’s claim compensation calculator can help you to understand the value of your claim, as well as your eligibility to claim. Once confirmed, we can then put you in touch with the best legal professionals to handle your workplace health and safety claim — No Win, No Fee (excluding defendant costs if the claim is litigated). If you are looking to make a claim, please fill out our claims form.