What is workers' compensation?

How workers’ compensation can help you

Workers’ compensation can help by paying for:

• reasonable treatment costs to help you recover
• part of your wages if you need time off work.

We’ll also help you get back to work safely with support made just for you.

Workers’ compensation insurance and your employer

All employers must have workers’ compensation insurance to protect workers who become sick or injured because of work.

Most employers are insured by us, but some larger employers are self-insured.

Understanding what’s covered

Types of injuries and illnesses

Workplace injuries and illnesses can be physical, psychological or both, such as:  

• physical injuries, such as cuts, burns or fractures
• mental health-related injuries*
• illnesses caused by work, like specific types of cancer, silicosis or hearing loss
• existing injuries or illnesses made worse by work
• critical injuries (very serious physical injuries) and work-related fatalities.

Not all claims are accepted. Claims need to meet specific rules to be covered.

*Mental health injuries like depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, when mainly caused by work. Not all mental injuries are covered.

When a work-related injury can happen

Work-related injuries can happen:

• while you’re at work
• when you’re travelling to, from or for work
• during a scheduled break
• as a direct result of your work, such as exposure to a dangerous substance.

Claim types

Your claim journey can take different paths depending on your work-related injury or illness.

Claiming for lost wages or treatment costs

This is the most common type of claim. It’s called a workers’ compensation claim or statutory claim.

If your claim is accepted, we’ll pay for reasonable treatment costs and part of your wages while you recover.

Most of the time, you just need to show that your injury happened because of work.  

We’ll also look at a few other things to help us decide if we can accept your claim.

Permanent impairment

Most people get better after a work injury with the right treatment. Sometimes, an injury or illness is so serious that full recovery isn’t possible.

This may mean:

• losing part of your body or not being able to use it
• not being able to live life the way you did before.

We call this a permanent impairment.

If this happens, you may be able to get a lump sum payment at the end of your statutory claim.

Common law claim for damages

This type of claim is about seeking payment for damages if you believe your employer didn’t provide a safe work environment.

You can only make a common law claim if you’ve been assessed for a permanent impairment and received your Notice of Assessment letter.

Common law claims usually happen after your statutory claim ends. They often involve hiring a lawyer and may go to court.

It’s your choice whether to start a common law claim.