The inquiry into the Queensland workers' comp scheme has recommended retaining journey claims, common law claims and the current definition of "injury", and warns that vulnerable groups could slip through the cracks under a plan to narrow the meaning of "worker".
Maritime OHS laws should be harmonised with the model WHS Act so that PCBUs and officers in the sector have a positive duty to reduce its high injury and premium rates, according to a review of the Seacare scheme released for comment yesterday.
In a new report identifying multiple flaws in the way the Western Australian public sector manages injured employees, the State Auditor General has shown how quickly an employer can turn around its troubled return-to-work system and reduce its insurance costs.
A recent NSW Court of Appeal decision shows that non-Commonwealth licensees can still be found liable under state workers' compensation schemes for injuries caused by a "gradual process", according to a Curwoods Lawyers report.
Safe Work Australia, in a new report, has found that workers responsible for the safety of others are more likely to make mental stress claims, and urges employers to tackle the sources of stress.
Commonwealth employers that fail to provide suitable duties to rehabilitating workers will face fines, and workers' comp payments will be reduced after 13 weeks, under a plan to "shift" the distribution of benefits that apply under the SRC Act.
Safe Work Australia has published a guidance note on the known hazards of 16 chemicals, and how to determine when to stop exposing workers to them. Also in this article, manufacturers have been put on notice after a second SWA report found the sector has the highest workers' comp and incident rates for young workers.
The high number of workers' comp claims lodged in Queensland every year could be nearly halved under an amended system for reporting injuries, according to a Q-COMP plan available for public comment.
A new Safe Work Australia report has found that in the eight years to June 2011, some 356 workers were killed on Australian farms - about 17 per cent of all worker fatalities.
