Question

What must an employer do if there is a workplace injury?

Accepted Answer

Attend to the injured worker as soon as possible;

Notify GIO within 3 working days;

Give the worker written notice advising of their right to make a claim within 14 days;

Accept the worker’s claim form (notifying their insurer of the claim within 3 working days) and then forward the claim to their insurer within 5 days;

Start making weekly compensation payments within 14 days of receiving a new claim, or on the next payday where it is later than 14 days after receipt of the claim;

Keep the worker’s position open for a period of at least 12 months;

Provide the injured worker with suitable alternative duties. If it’s unreasonable or impracticable to do so, the employer must advise the worker in writing of the reasons;

Ensure that an injured worker is assigned to an RTWC as soon as practicable in the event of a significant claim (where more than 50 employees are employed);

Participate and co-operate with GIO to develop a Return To Work (RTW) Plan or an Injury Management (IM) Plan for the injured worker;

Provide suitable and meaningful duties in the workplace for an injured worker, wherever practicable.