Browsing: Return to work and rehabilitation | Page 8

A worker dismissed after being on sick leave for 16 months, after a safety stoush, has unsuccessfully claimed her employer had been obligated to send her for an independent medical examination (IME) to ascertain her capacity.

An appeals commission has confirmed an injured worker's incapacity, after allegedly being s-xually assaulted by a colleague at a social event, was caused by her employer's conduct in managing her return to work.

A commission has ordered a large employer to compensate a worker it dropped "like a hot potato" as soon his workers' comp entitlements ceased, blasting its "disappointing and disturbing" failure to inform itself of its obligations to workers who can't work because of injury or illness.

A "frustrated" injured worker who was "uncontactable, unresponsive and abusive" to those involved in managing his rehabilitation has been issued a list of actions, by a judge, which he must take to regain his payments.

Workplace injury stigma often involves the active discouragement of incident reporting and creates a "compounding negative effect" for employers, according to one of two new major return-to-work reports released by Safe Work Australia.

Workplace concussions, including seemingly mild head injuries, can involve drawn out recovery times for workers, according to US researchers, who recommend mental health screening to identify risk factors for complications.

An employer's efforts to block an injured worker's access to compensation irrelevantly "verged on seeking to identify a contribution by [the worker] to his circumstances", a tribunal has ruled.

More than seven years after a major review triggered the drafting process for new workers' comp laws in Western Australia, a Bill has finally been released for comment. It includes new requirements for labour-hire arrangements and pre-employment screening, and extends the step-down period for injured workers' payments.

• New WHS Code on psych risks to increase regulatory action, says lawyer; and
  
• Employer survey to inform national RTW framework.

Preventing psychological harm and facilitating return-to-work processes are key components of an effective, integrated "safe system of work", according to a new definition proposed by two Australian safety experts.