Articles

Author - Nicola MacCue

In 2008/09 manual handling injuries accounted for 29% of all workplace injuries. They cost the WorkCover scheme $173 million, and employer's lost 84,077 weeks of productive time. Preventing manual handling injuries should be a high priority for every employer, aiming to minimise workers compensation claims and insurance premiums.

If an employee has a pre-existing condition that is aggravated by their employment, you will be liable for the resulting compensation costs. To mitigate this risk, you can use a Pre-employment Medical Assessment to determine the fit between the prospective employee's current physical condition and what is required to safely complete the job.

Long-term employees and aging workforces are also at an increased risk of manual handling injuries. To address these risks employers look to Periodic Medical Assessments to identify worker's strengths and weaknesses, and then proactively address the risks through workplace related activity programs, tailored manual handling training and health clinics. 

Pre-Employment and Periodic Medicals are conducted by capable occupational health assessors skilled in obtaining information relating to past or current injuries. They are also experienced at uncovering conditions that are difficult to identify or the prospective employee is not willing to reveal to the employer. The examination will establish a benchmark for any progressive disability and limit the extent of future liability. This is especially important for employment in a designated noisy environment. In fact, a hearing test at the point of engagement is a mandatory requirement under the NSW OH&S Act where the employee has been or is likely to be exposed to workplace noise.

The essential requirements of a Pre-Employment Medical or Periodic Medical Assessment are:

• The medical examination is directly related to the workers duties.
• The examination is completed in a manner that does not give rise to a liability pursuant to Anti-Discrimination, OH&S and EEO acts.
• The specific physical requirements to safely perform the job have been accurately identified prior to the assessment.
• Accommodating people wihtout the inherent physical characteristics must have been considered.

If you would like any further information on Pre-Employment or Periodic Medical Assessments please visit the Actevate web site or call 1300 669 552.