Your Rights for Workers’ Compensation
Knowing your legal rights is key to making a successful workers’ compensation claim. You could be entitled to a payout if you’ve been injured at work, but securing damages isn’t always a straightforward process. We can offer advice on this area of the law so you have the financial freedom to regain your quality of life. Workers compensation claims can be complex, but you don’t need a law degree to understand your rights. When building your case, be sure to take note of these basic entitlements. Choosing a Healthcare Provider After sustaining an injury at work, finding a doctor you can trust is an important part of the recovery process. In addition to providing you with medical treatment, your doctor may also need to verify your injuries. This is why it’s important to seek medical advice from someone you can rely on to represent your best interests. Your employer or insurer may encourage you to see a doctor of their choosing, but you have every right to decline this recommendation. In cases that rely on medical evidence, being treated by an impartial doctor can give your claim a greater chance of success. If you’ve been visiting the same GP for years, they’re probably the best person to treat your injuries. Returning to Work Once you feel ready to return to work (and have clearance from your doctor), your employer should support this process. Even if you can’t work in the exact same capacity as before, you’re still allowed to re-join the workforce. For example, if the role you performed prior to your injury involved physical labour you’re no longer capable of, your employer could reassign you to a desk job. Employers who can’t make suitable duties available need to provide a valid reason for this. Even though it usually makes good business sense for businesses to support the return of injured employees, discrimination is still common in these circumstances. If your employer fails to support your return to work, this may need to be addressed through further legal action. Appealing Your Claim If WorkCover doesn’t accept your claim, there are steps you can take to appeal this decision. WorkCover will assess your entitlement to damages based on a range of different factors, including: After reviewing your claim, WorkCover will reach a decision regarding your entitlement to damages. If you’re unhappy with their decision, you can appeal it through the Workers’ Compensation Regulator’s review process. If you’d like to learn more about your rights when making a Workers Compensation, contact Sinnamon Lawyers today.
Work Accidents: The Most Common Workplace Injuries
Workplace accidents can happen to anyone. While some professions are inherently more ‘risky’ than others (e.g. a builder is more likely than a marketing manager to get hit by a falling hammer), there’s no such thing as an injury-proof job. All industries, environments and roles come with some degree of risk – nobody is immune to workplace injuries. Here’s a list of some of the most common workplace injuries you should be wary of. 1. Lower Back Pain This all-too-common injury affects many workers, particularly those whose job involves sitting for most or all of the day. Lower back pain is the most common cause of disability and is also one of the leading reasons for people taking time off work. To combat back pain in your workplace: 2. Impact from a Falling Object You may think falling object accidents only happen on construction sites. But if your workplace has tall shelves or high storage areas, this is a real risk for you too. If something heavy falls onto your head or your foot, this can cause a serious injury. To reduce the risk of falling objects in your workplace: 3. Fatigue We all know how dangerous fatigue can be for drivers. However, we often overlook how risky this can be in the workplace. Over-exerting yourself can lead to sprains and serious injuries, especially if your work is physically demanding (e.g. heavy lifting or using manual machinery). To fight fatigue in your workplace: 4. Mental Health Problems Workplace fatigue doesn’t just put you at risk of physical strains; it can also lead to mental health concerns like stress and anxiety. Whether there’s already an underlying condition or not, factors like long hours and difficult colleagues can lead to negative consequences for your emotional wellbeing. To reduce the chances of mental health problems in your workplace: 5. Trips and Falls Tripping and falling is an accident that really can happen in any workplace – and it does. Quite often. All it takes is an out-of-place cable or an unsigned spill to leave a worker with cuts, bruises, sprains, or worse. The injury sustained can be even more severe if you fall from a height (e.g. down a flight of stairs or off a piece of scaffolding). To lower the risk of trips and falls in your workplace: 6. Injuries from Repetition Doing the same thing for hours on end can lead to severe strains on your body. This can include obvious things like using a jackhammer for too long, but it also applies to looking at a computer screen for an unreasonable length of time. To combat the risk of repetition-caused injuries: Your workplace is statistically one of the most likely places for you to sustain an injury – even just based on how much of your time you spend there. So it makes sense to take all possible precautions to keep yourself and your colleagues safe from these common workplace injuries. If you have had an injury at work, contact Sinnamon Lawyers today for personalised advice.
Staying Safe at Work: Hazardous Jobs Made Less Risky
Almost all occupations involve some risk but there are those that are just far more dangerous than others. The most hazardous jobs include working in a construction site, being a logger, miner or firefighter and those are just to mention a few. The truth can not be concealed that these jobs really are dangerous and yet, if it is your calling, then all you can do is gear yourself up with the right techniques and insurances on how to stay safe at work. This blog will focus on techniques and we will do another one on insurance and contracts soon. We hope you found these tips useful. Until next week!
Injured at Work? The Next Steps for a Workers’ Compensation Claim
Sustaining a workplace injury can be stressful and costly. It can also affect your life in many ways over both the short term and the long term. So what should you do when you have been injured at work? We’ve outlined some of the important steps and things to keep in mind as you try to move forward from a workplace accident. These steps include: Record the incident with your employer You must report an accident in the workplace to your employer as soon as possible after it occurs. Your employer should log the details of your accident into their relevant system as soon as they can. In most cases, reporting your accident to your employer in a timely manner is essential if you wish to claim compensation. Document everything Keeping records and relevant documentation is an important aspect when you think you may need to claim for a workplace injury. Whether this is medical records, receipts for treatments, copies of your timesheet on the day of the accident, or witness statements, having them on hand is a good idea because it can save you time when you file your claim. Make sure you have a claim Before you start this process though, you should first figure out if you actually have a claim. This is a good time to speak to a legal expert who has experience with workplace injury cases. They will be able to assess your situation and help you understand whether you have grounds to claim Workers’ Compensation or not. As a guide, you may be able to make a claim if you: This is applicable for most types of employment, including part-time and casual workers. If you have been in an accident in your workplace, contact our team today to get personalised advice.
Health and community services Workers’ Compensation information
The health and community services sector is responsible for our health and well-being. This sector includes hospitals, clinics, retirement and nursing homes. We rely on the workers in this sector to take care of us, and our loved ones at our time of need. Should these workers have some sort of accident, it is highly important that they be given the proper treatment so they will be in tiptop shape when they need to work. Workers who are secure in their jobs, receive proper training and are guaranteed compensation are more secure in the knowledge that if injured on the job they’ll be taken care. These workers perform to a higher satisfaction rate as well. Can you imagine all the training that they have to go through, to be able to execute their duties of care to perfection, every time? Most of us admire people who work in the health industry and don’t really want to have to go into hospitals because we associate germs and sickness with it. Well, think of the people who actually have to work there, exposed to exactly that kind of environment day in and day out. They really should be entitled to some sort of Workers’ Compensation benefits should an accident happen to them in their jobs. In Australia, there are general guidelines for Workers’ Compensation for health and community services workers. There are laws that require employers to create a safe workplace environment with specific guidelines on the training and protection of their employees and procedures for the safe handling, storage and maintenance of chemicals and equipment. Despite these laws in place, accidents may happen and it’s during these times that a worker needs to know the compensation he or she is entitled to. Compensation is mostly in the form of income replacement especially during the time when the injured worker is still recuperating and is dependent on how serious the worker is incapacitated. Medical treatment may also be reimbursed and is not limited to just medicines and hospitalisation. For more serious injuries like the loss of a body part or the function of a body part, a lump sum compensation may be recommended. A fatality often results in compensation in the form of funeral benefits and special provisions for the worker’s children (if any). Sinnamon Lawyers has offices across Queensland. We can come to you if you are struggling with mobility, and can’t get to one of our offices. Call us today toll free on 1800 007 277 to arrange an obligation free appointment or seek our expert advice about your legal position following an accident.
