Accident At Work

If you have an accident at work (especially as a paraemdic) – you must contact your immediate supervisor and report it (proabbly after you try to resolve the injury with basic first aid if required. If the injury is only minor, you should still document the incident (all Austrlian companies should have some policy in place to follow after having an accident at work.

Even if you don’t feel that sore now, it is important to document the incident, in case you develop more problems as a result of the injuries later, or your injuries worsen – is is much harder to go back to your boss a few weeks later and ask for assistance because you had an injury three weeks earlier that you didn’t report.

Another benefit of reporting is that the company that you work for can learn from these incidents and improve the system so that less employees become injured.

What if it looks like I’m going to be off work for some time?

If you have been significantly injured and the injury appears like it will keep you off work for some time, the company you work for will be responsible for providing you some form of compensation – this may be a return to work policy/ or work related injury payment. In Australia, workers compensation should cover any financial costs incurred as a result of this this accident. If you still believe that you have been far worse off as a result of the injury, and you believe the injury was the result of someone’s negligence or the company’s negligence, then you are entitled to financial compensation. A work injury lawyer or a compensation lawyer should be able to help you with this.

How much will it cost?

You may be able to find a compensation lawyer who works on a no win no fee basis. Otherwise, you will have to pay for a lawyer, and this may become pricy if you are not awarded a compensation. At either rate, make sure you know what you’re in for before you sign any contract.