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Understanding Workers’ Compensation in 5 easy steps

Feb 16, 2021
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Business Insurance Workers Compensation Insurance

Whilst SME owners are expected to understand everything that affects their business, Workers’ Compensation is a very complex topic. That’s why some of the larger SMEs hire experts to deal with anything that pertains to Workers’ Compensation.

However, if your business is not in that position just yet, what can you do? What happens when an employee is injured at work? To help set you on the right path, here are five easy steps that should make the entire process much simpler to navigate.

1. Provide first aid and medical attention

The injured employee needs to report the incident to their employer as soon as possible. The employer needs to provide first aid and ensure that if further medical attention is required, that it is provided as well. If further medical attention is not required on-site, the employee should visit their GP to document their injury and provide a Certificate of Capacity. This certificate outlines the employee’s injury, capacity for work and treatment required for them to return to work.

2. Log the incident and report the injury to your provider

An employer must register a work injury very quickly. The incident must be logged in your workplace injury register and reported to your Workers’ Compensation provider usually within 48 hours. However, if the accident results in death, serious injury or is due to a dangerous incident, you must notify your provider immediately.

3. Ask your employee if they want to make a claim

Once you have logged the injury and reported it to your provider, it’s time to ask your employee if they want to make a claim. If they do, then you need to give them a claim form, which they need to complete, and return to you along with their medical certificate or Certificate of Capacity. If they haven’t seen their GP yet to obtain either of these certificates, it’s appropriate to suggest they do so, as their GP’s input will be needed to certify them fit for some or all duties before they can return to work.

4. Send the correct forms to your provider

Once the injured employee has given you their medical certificate or Capacity Certificate, these need to be sent to your provider. Once your provider has received this paperwork, they will contact your injured employee to assess their injuries and decide whether to accept the claim or not. Generally, once it is clear that the injury occurred at or associated with the workplace, claims are accepted.

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5. Work with the employee to help them return to work

Employers should liaise with an injured employee so that they can better facilitate their employee’s return to work. If they cannot return to their existing role, then your provider and the employee’s GP can both provide assistance to identify suitable work options.

With these five easy steps you should be able to navigate your way through any Workers’ Compensation claims and help your employees return to work as soon as possible. Of course, our advisers are here to assist you through such claims and help guide both you, and your employee through the process, should it occur. To discuss your business’ Workers’ Compensation requirements, talk to an insurance specialist today. Contact Chris Payne.

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General Advice Warning: This advice is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate for you and your personal circumstances. Before you make any decision about whether to acquire a certain product, you should obtain and read the relevant product disclosure statement.

All information above has been provided by the author.

Chris Payne, ii-A, ABN 28 118 001 415, AFSL 307107

This article originally appeared on Insurance Advisernet News and has been published here with permission.