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Hi,
Our April issue offers you a Handy Calculator to help with your WorkCover Estimated Remuneration 2011 / 2012
You will need your Premium Renewal Notice for the 2011/2012 financial year. If you cannot locate your Renewal Notice, give us a call (phone: 8346 8550) and we will find out what your current estimate of remuneration is for you.
CLICK HERE to visit our website for access to the WorkCover Remuneration Estimate Calculator.
Simply insert your current Remuneration Payments Up to 31/3/11. The Calculator will automatically multiply the figure by 1.333 (That is 0.333 for the final quarter.)
Compare the result to your 11/12 estimate of Remuneration. If it differs by 20%, or you believe your 4th Quarter Wages and Superannuation bill will cause it to differ from the current estimate by 20% or more, then call us on 8346 8550.
We will email the adjusted figure to your Insurer and to you or you can update yourself online.
By taking the time to complete this task you may avoid a premium penalty. If you have experienced a downturn in your business then you may be able to reduce or eliminate your June Instalment.
Remember, we're always here to help,
Linda
Smoko time was a very lucky break for these workers
It was just luck that no one was killed when scaffolding tumbled onto a busy Prahran street three years ago, says WorkSafe. Three people were injured when the scaffolding collapsed onto Commercial Road after being altered and overloaded with bricks.
The construction company, Asian Pacific Building Corporation, has been fined $170,000 over the incident.
WorkSafe director Allan Beacom says it could have been much worse. “There was public involved, there was a tram, there was a bus going by, and the fact that the collapse happened at smoko time when most of the workers were not on the scaffold, is just sheer luck,” he said. “We could be standing here today discussing a multiple fatality.” Mr Beacom says the $170,000 fine is significant, and reflects the seriousness of the offence.
Truckie tempted by handy benefits fined
A truck driver who continued to receive compensation benefits for a workplace injury but took up work elsewhere has been ordered to repay almost $27,000 and perform 100 hours of unpaid community work.
In the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court, Nathan Higgins, of Melton, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraudulently obtaining payments and three charges of providing false or misleading information. Mr Higgins was a self employed truck driver when he suffered a workplace injury to his left hand in January 2009. Despite continuing to receive compensation payments for his injury and stating he was unfit to work or could only work on modified duties, Mr Higgins took up a job as a bus driver from August 2009 to July 2010.
WorkSafe under fire over faulty bottles
A young plumber was badly burned when a faulty gas bottle erupted in flames less than two months after a 25- year-old tradesman died in a huge gas blast.
Troy Taliana, 22, believes he is lucky to be alive and the accident has raised questions about WorkSafe after it emerged the safety watchdog did not issue a warning about the defective gas bottle, although it had been recalled by its manufacturer.
Mr Taliana was installing a solar hot water service at a new housing estate in Lalor on February 9 when he had his brush with death. “I screwed the head on to the bottle and it burst into flames in my hands,” he said. Mr Taliana spent two weeks in The Alfred hospital’s burns unit. His mother Judy, who helps run the plumbing business, was furious to discover that although the MAP gas cylinders manufactured by Worthington were first recalled in January, WorkSafe had not issued an alert.
Fall from ladder may result in charges against air con company
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is to consider charges against an air-conditioning company after an employee fell from a faulty ladder while working on a Southbank development site. Coroner Kim Parkinson referred the case to the DPP after finding that the ladder on which Keith Dickman had been working was defective and unstable from modifications and irregular replacement parts.
Ms Parkinson also found that a statement about safe work practices was “inadequate and incomplete,” in that it did not identify the risk of fall from ladders and that the employer, All staff Air-conditioning Pty Ltd, failed to supervise adequately the wearing of safety equipment.
Mr Dickman, 56, was installing air-conditioning ducting on the eighth level of a development at Freshwater Place when he fell off the ladder. As he fell, he tried to grab the ceiling grid, but it flicked him in the face and injured him. Ms Parkinson heard in the inquest that one of the ladder’s feet was damaged, and folding braces were faulty and deteriorated. She was critical of the company’s statement on safe work practices, describing it as “limited and superficial” and failed to “identify the most basic of risk factors in the work being performed.”.
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Quick thinking saved falling high-rise worker
An injured worker, who was rescued from a high-rise construction site in the Docklands, dislocated his shoulder by throwing his arms out as he fell through a hole in the top floor of the building, according to paramedics. A crane was used to lower the 21-yearold man from the rooftop of the Aurecon Centre construction site, on the corner of Collins and Merchant streets, to the ground.
Ambulance Victoria paramedic team manager Rachelle Pellow said the man’s quick-thinking had stopped him from crashing right through the eighth storey floor. Fire crews, including members of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade’s High Angle Rescue Team helped retrieve the man. Ms Pellow said a scoop stretcher was used to get the man from the eighth floor to the rooftop where he was moved to a rescue cage and then lowered to the ground with the crane. The man was taken to Epworth Hospital in a stable condition.
Secret review of WorkSafe and TAC kept under wraps
A secret review of Victoria’s WorkCover and transport accident compensation systems is under way and the State Government is refusing to make public any details of the inquiry.
Despite no public announcement of the review, the Government confirmed it had asked the Essential Services Commission to conduct a root and branch inquiry into the Victorian WorkCover Authority (which also operates as WorkSafe) and the Transport Accident Commission. But it refused to release details, drawing fire from the business community.
A Government spokesman said the inquiry was in line with the Coalition’s 2010 election policy to improve the “efficiency and transparency” of the organisations. Asked why the inquiry’s terms of reference had not been made public, the spokesman said: “This is a government request for internal advice, not a comprehensive public review.”
Quick Guide Register On Our Site
Step 1:
Go to www.workcomp.com.au.
Click on the REGISTER link in the top right hand side corner of the home page under the logon area
Step 2:
Enter your Employer ID which is your 8 digit WorkCover Employer Number
(NB: if you have a 7 digit employer number enter a Zero in front of your number).
You will then be asked to choose a password and verify some details.
Step 3:
Once your registration is confirmed you can then log in to the Member area.
Use your Employer Number as your user name and enter your new password.
You're away! Download any of the OH&S documents that are provided FREE to you. Read the latest news articles relating to Victorian Workers Comp and much more.
Keeping You Informed
The Risk Round Up newsletter is a service to keep you informed about WorkCover and OH&S matters that impact on your business. We hope you’ll find the information here useful. However if you do not wish to receive the newsletter you can unsubscribe or simply email or call us to be removed from the mailing list.
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Please call us on Ph: (03) 8346 8550, or Free call: 1800 330 136
if you need any assistance on the above or other WorkCover Risk Management needs.
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