AustralianSuper’s background AustralianSuper is Australia’s largest super fund, with over 2.3 million members. AustralianSuper is so large that 1 in...
Read MoreAn unfortunate reality of life, and something hundreds of Australia’s experience, is that workplace injuries can, and do, occur every day. What a workplace injury consists of can vary widely, from serious and severe disfigurement to mental health issues like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and everything in between.
For those individuals working in physical jobs, the likelihood of some form of physical injury is ever-present. Injuries can occur on worksites due to lifting heavy items, falling over obstacles, and through the use, malfunction or ineffective handling of machinery. Circumstances in a workplace that leave an individual with a physical injury can have far-reaching and devastating impacts. Often the injured worker is unable to return to work, or is forced to take time away from work to recover and rehabilitate. Physical injuries can also create mental injuries through depression and anxiety, whether due to the struggles with a change in circumstances, challenges in physical limitations, financial difficulties and anxiety around returning to the workplace.
When discussing workplace injuries, the mind commonly jumps to the physical injuries described above, however, the law recognises psychological injuries as well. Mental or psychological injuries can have just as severe impact on an individuals life as a physical injury. Types of mental injuries commonly sustained in the workplace include: post-traumatic stress disorder, whereby an individuals role causes them to be exposed to distressing material or they are a witness to a that has a profound affect on them. Anxiety and depression are also common mental injuries, these can be cause by over-working, workplace bullying, or inappropriate workplace conditions.
In Australia, workplace injuries occur every day. Whether the injured person has been left with a physical or mental injury, the impact on that individuals life can be devastating. Thankfully, avenues exist to return the injured individual to the same position they would have been, should their injury have not occurred – enter Littles Lawyers.
Personal injury law in Queensland can enable the injured individual to receive weekly benefits through the Workcover Queensland, as well as funding for rehabilitation. For example, physiotherapy sessions for physical injuries and psychologist consultations for psychological injuries.
Often times it is established that the incident in which an injury has occurred, could have been prevented, but for the negligence of an employer, who may have done, or failed to do, something which either causes, or should have prevented the injury taking place. In this instance, an injured individual is able to pursue a common law claim for damages. This allows the injured individual to recover past economic loss, as well as recoup expenses from rehabilitation, for instance, operation costs or GP visits. Finally, the injured person will also be able to claim for future economic loss to account for the ongoing limitation on the individual’s earning capacity.
Strict time limits apply to workplace injuries. Therefore, it is critical to have your rights assessed by a personal-injury lawyer as soon as possible. If you or someone you know has experienced a workplace injury, contact Littles Lawyers for your free initial claim assessment today.
AustralianSuper’s background AustralianSuper is Australia’s largest super fund, with over 2.3 million members. AustralianSuper is so large that 1 in...
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