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.

Landmark workplace prosecution in Queensland continues

Two family owned businesses and their respective directors have been committed to stand trial following a Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) investigation into the death of a 62 year old roofer.
These are Queensland's first category 1 prosecutions under work safety laws, with the companies, if found guilty of the alleged offences, facing maximum fines of $3 million, and the two directors fined up to $600,000 each and facing maximum gaol terms of five years.
The defendants, the PCBUs (in this instance the Directors) and registered companies have been charged for contravening Section 19 (2) and/or s20 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
The deceased worker, who only started the job four days earlier, fell almost six metres to his death while working on the edge of a roof without protection. The worker was one of five roofers working on an industrial shed at Lake Macdonald in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on 29 July 2014 when he fell.
The shed was part of a larger complex being refurbished by a building business that contracted a roofing business to fit roof sheeting.
An indictment relating to four separate complaints under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 was presented at the Maroochydore District Court on 8 February 2017 against the defendants, who will stand trial in the Brisbane District Court. The matter is due for mention on 19 April 2017.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland head Dr Simon Blackwood said falls from heights is a serious issue in most industries, particularly construction.
“The roofing/reroofing trade is certainly one where things can go wrong at height. In this case, the court will hear evidence that appropriate safety equipment was available and on site.” Said Dr Blackwood.
This workplace death was preventable. What are you doing as a business owner or manager to prevent your workers taking unnecessary risks? Don’t risk prosecution and non-compliance, contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au.

Queensland employer fined 180,000 after death of young worker

A Queensland transport company has been fined $180,000 for failing to comply with health and safety laws after a teenager was crushed to death operating a vehicle loading crane at Westside Christian College in 2012.

Head of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) Dr Simon Blackwood said this was a tragic example of a young employee desperately trying to please his boss, but way out of his depth – a situation the company could’ve easily avoided.

“Around 50 young Queenslanders a day – mostly young men suffer a compensable work injury, and one a day is permanently impaired,” Dr Blackwood said.

Since the tragedy, the company has stopped similar jobs and no longer uses the vehicle involved in the incident.

Magistrate David Shepherd said the young man died trying to do his best for his employer and had no doubt company bosses feel this matter very deeply and personally.

Dr Blackwood said for his family, this is closure. For everyone else, it’s a timely reminder to put measures in place to ensure safe working environments so that employees go home to their families every day.

"Young workers have a unique risk profile and it’s up to employers to consider this when managing them. A proper induction, plenty of support and much needed training are vital," he said.

Work health and safety laws require employers to:
•  identify the health and safety risks of particular work tasks and adopt procedures to eliminate or control them;
•  train workers in the procedures and provide them with any safety equipment they need;
•  ensure workers perform their tasks safely by providing training, supervision and support; and
•  encourage workers to speak to supervisors about any health and safety concerns.

Since July 2016, the Office of Industrial Relations has successfully completed 21 prosecutions in the courts, leading to fines totaling three quarters of a million dollars.

Over the same period, WHSQ issued 37 infringement notices with fines totaling more than $94,000, as well as 921 improvement notices and 265 prohibition notices.

For more information on managing young workers, contact ISOsafe at enquiries@isosafe.com.au. We support business owners; helping create safe and compliant workplaces.

Sydney car auction company fined more than $250,000 after death of forklift operator

A Sydney car auction company has been fined more than a quarter of a million dollars after a forklift operator was killed while unloading a truck at Milperra, NSW in 2013.
A 36 year old forklift operator and a 19 year old labourer were moving a cabinet from a truck onto a forklift at the company’s motor vehicle storage and auction site, when they both lost control of the load. The incident resulted in the death of the forklift operator and the labourer was left with fractured ribs and an injured knee.
SafeWork NSW charged the company with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.
The company were found guilty by the District Court in June this year and fined $255,000.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident highlighted the risks of working with forklifts and need to provide effective supervision and support to young workers.
“Forklifts continue to be a major factor in workplace deaths and injuries,” Mr Dunphy said.
“Between July 2012 and July 2014, 1,360 workers were injured in forklift incidents, including five fatalities.
“The social and economic impact is also significant, including a cost of $15.8 million to the NSW workers compensation scheme.
“Young workers make up approximately 12 per cent of all employment injuries and occupational diseases across the State, and are more vulnerable to workplace safety risks because of their inexperience or reluctance to speak up about safety concerns.
“Our investigation found that a lack of safety systems, instruction and supervision were major contributors to this incident.
“The company failed to train and instruct the workers how to safely remove the cabinet from the truck and did not tell them which forklift could safely carry the cabinet."
“This resulted in the workers selecting the wrong sized forklift with tragic results.”
“This incident highlights the need for employers to have appropriate systems in place to ensure that all workers, particularly young workers, receive sufficient training and support to work safely.”
Failure to manage health and safety can result in serious incidents. So, as well as putting staff wellbeing at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.