iCare (NSW Workers Compensation) Employers Quick Reference Guide

If there has been a serious Workplace injury, illness, dangerous incident or death, contact SafeWork immediately.

Notify iCare of an injury or make a Claim

As an employer, you need to notify your claims service provider within 48 hours of becoming aware of a work-related injury or illness.

EML is icare's default provider.

iCare’s Lodgement Form can be accessed here.

Immediately after becoming aware of a Workplace Injury

When you receive a notification of a workplace injury, there are some things you must do as an employer, including:

    provide first aid and make sure the injured person gets the right care

    notify us of any injury or illness within 48 hours

    record the injury in the register of injuries

    maintain contact with your employee and support the injured person to recover at work

Notifiable Incidents

If a notifiable incident occurs, you must notify SafeWork NSW immediately. Significant penalties apply if you fail to notify an incident.

A ‘notifiable incident’ relates to:

    a fatality

    a serious injury or illness

    a dangerous incident

Keep an Incident Register

Even if an injury doesn’t result in a workers compensation claim, you need to keep a record of what happened. ISOsafe call this the “Incident Register”. The register must be kept in a readily accessible place in the workplace.

We also recommend recording ‘near misses’ as a means of injury prevention. While this is not required under the legislation, it’s considered best practice for worker health and safety.

The register must include the following details of each injury:

    name of the injured worker

    the worker's address

    the worker's age at the time of injury

    the worker's occupation at the time of injury

    the industry in which the worker was engaged at the time of injury

    the time and date of injury

    the nature of the injury

    the cause of the injury

The register of injuries can be kept in writing or on a computer. A record of each notifiable incident must also be kept. Call ISOsafe to setup your Incident Register today – 1300 789 132.

There are penalties for failing to keep a record of injuries.

NSW Workers Compensation Lookup Tool - iCare Verification of Cover

If you want to lookup an employer’s Workers Compensation Registration, iCare offer a handy online tool. All you need is the employers ABN or ACN to access the current Verification of Cover. The iCare lookup tool can be accessed here.

Ballarat Construction Company Fined $25,000 For Unsafe Scaffolding

A Ballarat construction company has been convicted and fined $25,000 for ignoring WorkSafe directions to fix unsafe scaffolding at a Mount Clear worksite.

The company was found guilty in the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court of two offences relating to a failure to provide a safe workplace and a failure to comply with a WorkSafe prohibition notice.

It was also ordered to pay $2897 in costs.

The court heard that WorkSafe issued the company with a prohibition notice in May 2016 after an inspector observed incomplete scaffolding, with missing planks and gaps in the handrails, at a site in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Clear. 

The notice required that the scaffolding not be used until the safety issues were addressed.

When a WorkSafe inspector returned to check that the notice has been complied with, he observed a person working from the same incomplete scaffolding.

The court heard that two subcontractors said they were directed by a company representative to work on the roof of the construction, and were not aware there was a prohibition notice in respect to the scaffolding.

WorkSafe Head of Operations and Emergency Management Adam Watson said the idea that a construction company would ignore a directive to fix a safety issue as critical as scaffolding was abhorrent.

“Falls are one of the most common causes of death and serious injury among construction workers. You don’t have to fall from a great height to be killed or suffer permanent injuries at a worksite,” Mr Watson said.

“Given the risks it’s quite disturbing to think that anyone would ignore a specific WorkSafe directive to make scaffolding safer.”

Employers should control the risk of injury through falls from height by ensuring:

• The installation of passive fall prevention measures such as railings and scaffolding.

• Workers perform their tasks within a safe area.

• Safety equipment is used to minimise the risk of injury if there is a fall.

• That workplace layout, access requirements, training and experience levels and on-site conditions are taken into account when the risk of falls is assessed.

For peace of mind, contact ISOsafe. Our specialists provide training, support and Safety Policies tailored for businesses Australia-wide.