Tradesure: When Can I Claim Workers Compensation?

Injury and illness can happen in any workplace as a result of work-related incidents. But in the trades industry, the potential for danger, damage and injury is much higher than many other occupations…

If you’re a worker and a work-related injury or illness has happened to you, you may be able to make a claim for workers’ compensation with WorkCover Queensland.

So, what is workers compensation?

FairWork states: workers compensation is a form of insurance payment to employees if they are injured at work or become sick due to their work. 

Workers compensation includes payments to employees to cover:

• Wages while they’re not fit to work 
• Medical, rehabilitation and getting back to work expenses

A work-related injury or illness can happen in the workplace, in work-related situations, or travelling to, from or for work. Types of injury or illness include:

• Physical injuries
• Psychological and psychiatric injuries
• Diseases
• Aggravated injury or ongoing symptoms

How to make a claim:

Submit an online form to WorkSafe. Your claim will be assessed on eligibility criteria including:

• Has the claim been made in the right time frame? Generally a claim needs to be made within six months of the date of injury or incident, however, the time limit can be extended under certain circumstances.
• Was the person making the claim working for the employer when they were injured?
• Is the person claiming considered a worker?
• Did a work-related incident cause the injury?
• Was the person’s job a significant contributing factor to their injury (a large part of the cause)?

Every claim is different, and sometimes additional criteria may be added to your claim. The type of injury or how it happened can mean more information is needed to decide your claim. This can be the case with:

• Psychological and psychiatric injuries
• Industrial deafness
• Injuries travelling to from or for work or on scheduled breaks
• Aggravated injuries or ongoing symptoms
• Work-related respiratory diseases or diseases contracted while doing your job, for example Q-fever
• Death caused by a work-related event by illnesses like mesothelioma or malignant skin cancer, that develop over a long period of time (called ‘latent onset’)

Whose responsibility is Workers Compensation Insurance?

The Australian Government JobsAccess website states “By law, your organisation must cover all employees—including employees with disability— with workers' compensation insurance”

For more information about Workers Compensation contact FairWork or WorkSafe.

Where can I get Information about Trade Insurance?

At Tradesure, we’ve got your back when it comes to tradie insurance. We’ll make sure you have the correct cover.  Get a free online quote today.