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Australian employers now have greater certainty and confidence to manage COVID workplace vaccinations following the introduction of a national no-fault vaccine indemnity scheme, according to the Business Council of Australia (BCA). The Australian Federal Government is developing a claims scheme to reimburse people who suffer a moderate to significant impact following an adverse reaction toRead more

One in four Australian employers want to mandate COVID vaccinations for some or all of their employees, according to the results of a new survey. The Ai Group survey also found that more than 50 per cent of companies are in favour of some form of mandating. Of the over 700 companies surveyed, 24 perRead more

Workers’ compensation claims related to mental stress and harassment and/or bullying have both risen in recent years, according to a recent Safe Work Australia analysis. It found the frequency rate (claims per 100 million hours worked) of mental stress claims declined from 2002–03 to 2015–16, before rising again in recent years. The rate for harassmentRead more

There were 1222 workers’ compensation claims related to COVID-19 lodged in 2020, and of these, 974 claims were accepted, 127 were rejected and 121 are still pending, according to new Safe Work Australia data. Of the 1095 accepted and pending claims lodged last year, 826 were for workers who had contracted COVID-19, 212 were forRead more

Comcare has recently established a specialist team of inspectors to focus on work health and safety risks at major infrastructure projects across Australia. There are already a number of major projects underway within Comcare’s diverse jurisdiction, such as underground rail infrastructure in Sydney and Melbourne. A number of Commonwealth-funded developments including Snowy Hydro 2.0, WesternRead more

Safe Work Australia has released the first edition of a new biennial report series that highlights workers’ compensation scheme developments in Australia and New Zealand. The report will be particularly useful for organisations that work with or across multiple jurisdictions. The report summarises significant changes in administration and scheme delivery and policy and legislative amendmentsRead more

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted vastly different ways in which organisations engaged with their OHS teams and resources through 2020, according to new research. At one end of the spectrum, some organisations elected to centralise and restrict decision-making to the upper echelons of leadership – excluding OHS from involvement in strategic risk management. At theRead more

Over the past five years, the incident rate of serious workers’ compensation claims has decreased by 9 per cent across Australia from 10.3 claims per 1000 employees in 2013–14 to 9.4 per cent in 2017–18, according to a new Safe Work Australia analysis. It also found the overall Australian frequency rate of serious claims decreasedRead more

In the 2018-19 year there have been over 114,000 serious workers’ compensation claims, according to new Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics. Although men accounted for a significant proportion of the physical injuries sustained, women accounted for a greater proportion of diseases, particularly mental health conditions. Women were almost three times as likely as men to sustainRead more

The median time lost for a serious workers’ compensation claim in Australia is now 6.2 weeks – an increase of 24 percent since 2009, according to the latest Safe Work Australia statistics. However, in the same period, the frequency rate of serious claims per million hours worked has decreased by 26 percent. The Australian Workers’Read more