Looking after Queenslanders injured on the job, plus their rehabilitation and safe return to work, are priorities for not only workers and employers, but the Government.
That’s because work plays a vital role in any rehab process and the act of ‘doing’ promotes recovery.
Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said long periods off work can significantly reduce the likelihood of an injured worker ever getting back on the job and often has a negative effect on the worker and their family.
“We know that the best results are achieved when employers encourage and support workers to recover at work. Or if the worker is at home, to help them return to work as soon as they are cleared to do so,” Ms Grace said.
“That’s why I’ve asked WorkCover Queensland and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to get together to conduct another stage of the successful Getting back advertising campaign we ran in 2015.
“Independent market research showed the campaign raised workers’, employers’ and medical professionals’ awareness that there’s nothing like getting back for getting better.”
Following stage one, the frequency of injured worker contact with their employer increased 12 per cent and there was a seven per cent increase across the board in the belief that the best course of action is getting back on job early.
“Since then, sadly the stats have slipped a bit. Even though Queensland’s workers’ compensation scheme remains the best in the country, we have seen a drop in the number of injured workers returning to work from 96.5 to 92.2 % and an increase in the number of days taken off work from 47.2 to 48.2 days,” Ms Grace said.
“So to put the spotlight back on speedy return to work, we’ll run the campaign again, and hopefully get our return to work rates in Queensland back to where they were a couple of years ago.”
The $1.8m campaign will again remind people of the health benefits of early return to work and the importance of good communication between all parties to achieve this. The TV ads are scheduled to go to air in October and will be supported by press, radio and social media.
More information is available at www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
