08:21 pm, Tuesday 18 June, 2013

WorkCover Queensland together with the Australian Industry Group has recently conducted an educational forum to address injury management and prevention with small employers.

WorkCover Customer Services Manager Melissa Steadman said the forum gave employers an opportunity to discuss challenges that smaller businesses face and how WorkCover and employers can work together to put strategies in place to work through some of these challenges.

“The forum highlighted the benefits of WorkCover’s industry alignment which has assisted business. Our teams focus their efforts on specific industries, becoming experts in those areas, and handle claims from start to finish within one team.”

“We discussed how this industry alignment has built close working relationships with employers and increased our knowledge of their business and industry, which really benefits employers,” said Ms Steadman.

Some employers also shared their successful strategies in preventing workplace injuries and managing return to work following injury.

The Australian Industry Group encouraged employers to get actively involved not just when arranging a return to work, but also immediately after an injury happens. They are urged to regularly communicate with WorkCover, the injured worker and any providers.

Ms Steadman said WorkCover will continue to work with employers to improve their services.

More information can be accessed from the WorkCover Queensland website.

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05:40 pm, Tuesday 11 June, 2013

A case of workplace bullying in Queensland involving an emergency medical dispatcher will be ruled on in the state’s Industrial Relations Commission.

It was determined by WorkCover Queensland that the complainant had suffered “acute anxiety disorder” because of bullying and harassment over a 10 month period, she was awarded compensation to cover that period.

The employer of the complainant, the Department of Community Safety (DCS) was accused of withholding evidence and witness statements. According to the official investigation report statements were given that the female communications officer was targeted after a personality clash with management.

The lawyer for the complainant alleged that there were “terrible shortcomings” with how the claim had been handled by the DCS who managed to get the compensation of the officer cut off.

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11:02 pm, Sunday 9 June, 2013

Organisations operating in high risk areas including transport, mining and construction have been awarded nearly $515,000 to fund innovative programs dedicated to making workplaces safer and healthier.

The funding was provided under the government’s High Risk Industry Work Health Funding Program which aims to improve workers’ health and wellbeing in identified high risk industries.

Workplace Health and Safety’s Dr Simon Blackwood said the program will help improve worker health and safety in Queensland.

“Through this funding, we will see businesses improve their safety and productivity by implementing best practice worker health and wellbeing initiatives,” said Mr Blackwood.

“We know that a healthy workplace is a productive workplace and we know that health and wellbeing can impact on performance and productivity.

“The research tells us that better worker health can lead to a reduction in workplace injury and illness, a significant reduction in sick leave absenteeism and reduced workers’ compensation claims.”

In order to qualify for funding, the projects should be able to address one or more of the risk factors of smoking, poor nutrition, harmful alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and overweight and obesity.

The High Risk Industry Work Health Funding Program is a part of the Queensland Workplaces for Wellness Initiative, which is a joint Australian, State and Territory Government initiative under the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health.

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11:37 am, Wednesday 8 May, 2013

At a recent Mining Industry Forum WorkCover Queensland revealed that an improvement program aimed at businesses with levels of statutory claims that are above average has meant that there has been a 22% reduction in these claims.

The Injury Prevention and Management (IPaM) Program is jointly run by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) and WorkCover Queensland.

The purpose of this program is to ensure that businesses have the needed skills to not only create but also implement an effective safety management system.

At the forum Suzanne Johnson from WHSQ said that this program is specifically for companies whose premium has been capped for more that two years at twice the rate for their industry.

She showed, during a presentation to the forum, that employers that have increased claims are case managed on an individual basis with some being invited to be a part of industry based intervention.

The key successes of the IPaM program in the two years since it began include:

- A 22% reduction in statutory claims.

- A 3.2% reduction in the average length of claims.

- Overall there was a 2% decrease in premium rates.

- A $2.2 million reduction overall in statutory claim costs.

Jane Stevens, the WorkCover Queensland Customer Service Manager, said that improvement could be made with return to work processes by ensuring that injured workers have access to online training and assessment.

It is also beneficial for workers to maintain regular contact with workers that are recovering from an injury and often results in a reduction in the duration and cost of the claim, which in turn may reduce WorkCover premiums.

WorkCover Queensland’s Michael Bannister also presented on Common Law Claims at the forum talking about key liability issues of negligence and causation, vicarious liability and contributory negligence.

Additional resources can be found at the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website.

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06:29 pm, Tuesday 9 April, 2013

Photo: WorkCover Queensland

A new performance summary feature has recently been released by WorkCover Queensland for employers registered with Employer online to assist them in easily identifying hot spots in terms of nature and location of an injury.

According to a media release by WorkCover, the new Injury Location tab includes a human silhouette which provides visual summary of the parts of a worker’s body receiving the most injuries. The Injury Nature tab allows employers to view the type of injury as well as the number of claims for that injury type.

Both of these tabs offer a five year overview, comparing year on year and against the industry rate. It also provides a comparison of average monthly payments.

With this information, WorkCover Queensland aims to help employers in identifying high risk areas of their business and implementing procedures to reduce the risk of injury. The new format also assists in presenting detailed information in a simple layout, with the option to drill down further to see the impact on premium.

Access to view this information will automatically be setup for existing users with performance summary access.

Those interested to register for Employer online are advised to visit WorkCover Queensland’s online services.

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05:59 pm, Monday 18 March, 2013

Customer Advisors Gemma Jorgensen and Alex Newton,
Customer Services Manager Vicki McCathy
and Exercise physiologist Adam King.
Photo: WorkCover Queensland

WorkCover Queensland has recently visited the Toowoomba Turf Club to meet with injured jockeys and view the horse simulator in action.

WorkCover Queensland Customer Advisor, Gemma Jorgensen said the simulator is a type of device that mimics a galloping horse which was purchased by Racing Queensland to train apprentices and is now also used as a rehabilitation tool.

“In some cases when I refer a jockey to a conditioning program, which helps them get back to riding duties more safely and quickly, the exercise physiologist encourages the jockey to use the simulator for conditioning. There isn’t really anything else in a gym or training session that can simulate the actions of a horse. The simulator enables the muscle groups needed to ride a horse to rebuild, strengthen and recondition.

“The simulator can also assist with any confidence issues – it has helped jockeys refine the riding action without having the unpredictability of a live animal beneath them,” said Ms Jorgensen.

By connecting the simulator to a LED screen and computer, balance, whip action and rein use are being monitored.

Customer Advisor Alex Newton said that during their visit they have discussed the rehabilitation and conditioning benefits of the simulator with Racing Queensland’s training officer along with an exercise physiologist who regularly arranges conditioning and strengthening programs for jockeys returning to work from injury.

“We learnt just how difficult riding a race horse can be and how general fitness plays such an integral and vital part in a jockey’s normal duties. Most jockeys’ injuries are complex and serious in nature, and normal duties are somewhat high risk and unpredictable,” said Mr Newton.

“We have worked with Racing Queensland to arrange availability of the horse simulator for rehabilitation and work hardening. These programs will be formulated and supervised by an exercise physiologist,” he said.

The simulators are available in Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, and Deagon. A mobile apparatus also travels to regional centres.

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10:23 pm, Thursday 14 March, 2013

Staying up to date with what’s happening to your industry while learning injury prevention and management strategies is important. Taking that on board, WorkCover Queensland created the industry sites to provide employers with relevant information on compensation and injury management, as well as industry specific news, events and resources.

Industry sites now available are Agriculture; Construction; Education; Manufacturing; Mining; Health and Community Care; Tourism; and Transport with more to come throughout the year.

WorkCover Queensland’s Communications Advisor, Sarah McAtamney, said they have been working on the idea of the sites from about February 2012. The first site was launched in late May and three more sites were introduced in the two months that followed.

“The idea came about because of the need to get relevant information to an industry,” Ms McAtamney told SafetyCulture. “Different industries have different needs – the industry sites allow us to give specific industry relevant articles and information to our customers without them having to go looking through our website for this.”

“There was also a need for us to integrate our tools and communication. The website is our base of information, however the sites link what’s relevant from the website for that particular industry. These articles are then available in the online services as an RSS linking back to the relevant microsite. People can subscribe to the RSS feed, which means they’ll always know when new content has been added to their industry site.”

She said they want to highlight that work is beneficial for people’s health and wellbeing, and when incorporated into an injured worker’s rehabilitation process, can result to a prompt and sustainable return to work.

“Preventing workplace injuries is fundamental, however, if someone is injured, it’s important to aim for a stay at, or prompt return to work outcome,” she said.

“We also recognise each industry has its own challenges and needs, so the sites are a platform where our customers can access information, tools and resources to help them achieve positive injury management outcomes for injured workers, as well as access general news and events specific to their industry.

“We hope that our employer and provider customers will go to the page, sign up to the RSS so they know when new articles are added. We’re working towards becoming paperless and are working more online, and we’re encouraging our customers to use our online services, which are free, quick and easy to use,” she said.

Those who want to have their event or industry-specific information published on the sites are encouraged to contact their WorkCover Queensland relationship manager or email communications@workcoverqld.com.au.

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10:53 pm, Monday 25 February, 2013

A forum to help employers in the beef industry improve health, safety and injury management outcomes was held on Friday.

Customer Services Manager Kylie Maras considers the forum a success.

“It featured a case where the employer was involved in the rehabilitation and return to work process from the onset, and how this lead to a great outcome. It also demonstrated how a shorter claim reduces the impact of costs on the employer’s premium, said Ms Maras.

According to a WorkCover Queensland news release, there have been 942 new claims in agriculture so far this year. Only 30 percent of these have seen an injured worker be able stay at work following injury.

“When you consider wages payments for the remaining 70 percent and that it currently takes 47 days for a first return to work this cost adds up, which also impacts premium.

“Treatment and rehabilitation costs contribute as well with the average monthly cost of a claim being $3500.”

“It is so important to maintain a good relationship between the employer and injured workers, as is preparing the rest of the work team for the return of an injured worker, and supporting them during the recovery,” said Ms Maras.

“There has been request to have one closer to Rockhampton so we will look at this in the future and consider filming it so others can see it. The next forum will be for the Banana industry in April, possibly in Tully,” she said.

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03:54 pm, Monday 4 February, 2013

WorkCover Queensland is inviting all employers in the accommodation industry to a free webinar with industry experts discussing strategies to achieve positive stay at, prompt return to work outcomes.

The webinar will be held on Wednesday 27 February 2013 from 11am to 12pm. There are limited places available and interested participants are advised to email Melissa Steadman at Melissa.steadman@workcoverqld.com.au by 22 February 2013.

The following topics will be covered during the webinar:

• Health benefits of staying at work, or returning to work while recovering
• What a doctor needs to know to help aid a prompt return to work (what employers should provide)
• Identifying suitable duties and presenting these to the treating doctor
• The importance of having management buy-in when it comes to stay at work and on site rehabilitation
• Recovering at work strategies and tips
• What resources are available to help all parties achieve a prompt and positive stay at work

More information about the webinar is available at the WorkCover Queensland website.

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07:16 pm, Wednesday 16 January, 2013

One of the biggest chains of supermarket in the country is objecting to paying compensation claims to workers who were injured on their way to or from work saying that employers “cannot control risks.”

According to a Courier Mail report, the supermarket owner made a submission to a review of the state workers’ compensation scheme.

“As an employer we have no control over the risks that employees are subjected to when on a journey to and from work or whilst on a recess,” said the owner in their submission.

The company is self-insured and manages their own workers’ compensation claims.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland also argued “journey claims” made by some workers can easily be exploited.

“Workers may at any time claim they are travelling to or from work and there is insufficient detail required under the legislation to prove otherwise.”

John Battams, president of the Queensland Council of Unions through the Courier Mail objected that journey claims only represented 6 percent of overall compensation demands. He said many Queenslanders had to travel long distances to go to and from work. The union said journey claims were an “important safeguard.”

Queensland’s scheme is primarily funded and run by the State via the WorkCover, together with Q-COMP  and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

A Parliamentary committee will examine the submissions and is expected to report in February.

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