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K Bank

The Voice of Clubs Qld one 2012

Managing Injuries in the Workplace

Even though hospitality is considered a low risk

industry there are still plenty of injuries that occur

in the clubs throughout Australia on a daily basis.

Injuries defined by WorkCover Queensland are

considered:

burns or industrial deafness;

stress or depression;

Some of the most common injuries to workers

in the hospitality industry, based on accepted

workers compensation claims are as follows:*

from operating equipment;

and strains from repeated movement;

strains from bending down;

strains from repeated movement;

from using knives;

strains from activities such as cleaning;

and strains from tripping or falling over

uneven surfaces or objects on the ground.

While working with our clients we have come

across several severe injuries that have occurred

in the workplace. Having an accredited

Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator

representing you and your employees in all facets

of getting injured and sick workers back to work

makes sense and can ultimately save your club

money.

Early intervention supports injured workers in

returning to their work environments on suitable

duty plans prior to being medically cleared

for their substantive duties. Rehabilitation

programs should be goal directed with timely and

appropriate services for the worker’s injury, the

rehabilitation and return to work plan objectives,

and the worker’s recovery rate.

During rehabilitation the worker must be treated

with appropriate respect. Early contact is one of

the key principles of successful rehabilitation. An

injured worker should be contacted as soon as

possible after the injury occurs or is reported so

rehabilitation needs can be assessed.

Your appointed Rehabilitation and Return to

Work Coordinator will facilitate the return to work

process and your worker and your club should

recover sooner as a result. On your behalf, the

coordinator will stay in contact with the injured

worker. They can liaise with all parties involved,

such as case workers, health care providers and

vocational rehabilitation providers. They can

organise suitable employment and modified

duties where necessary. A coordinator will

enlist the help of supervisors and co-workers in

supporting your injured worker.

When injured or sick workers are provided with

opportunities to return to work sooner, it assists

in their recovery and in returning normality to

their lives. The benefits to the employer include

the retention of staff skills, staff morale and the

reduction of hours covered by your insurer which

may assist in lowering your levies.

The benefit of appointing a Rehabilitation and

Return to Work Coordinator who you can contact

as soon as a worker is injured can assist in your

reporting and incident management as well as

the early intervention or returning your worker

safely back to their substantive duties. Common

Law claims are a significant liability to all clubs and

having industry experts investigating incidents

and supporting you in reporting and rehabilitation

processes may assist in decreasing this risk for you.

We will look forward to seeing you at the HGA

be sure to stop by and visit us at stands 62 & 69

located across from the Networking Area.

* Source: Statistics from Work Safe Queensland Hospitality, recreation and other services Injury Fact Sheet.

Danielle Petersmanaging director, Total Workplace Solutions

danielle@totalworkplacesolutions.com.au, 07 5564 0642