Expert fears health will be the loser in the race towards workers' comp harmonisation - Return to Work Matters.
April 8 2010 - "Workers' comp harmonisation as it has been discussed won't improve health or return to work outcomes," says Occupational Physician, Chair of Resworks and Editor of Return to Work Matters Dr Mary Wyatt.
One of four experts invited to address Safe Work Australia's recent Workers' Comp Harmonisation forum, Dr Wyatt told attendees that the vast amounts of time, energy, and resources that legislative harmonisation will demand of Australia's eleven workers' compensation jurisdictions would be better focused on "a national project to develop a standard set of tools and techniques to support and enable return to work".
While harmonisation will benefit Australia's multi-jurisdictional employers, the majority of Australian businesses and workers have little to gain from the process as currently proposed.
"Rather than advocating more tinkering with the rules, our focus should be on improving return to work performance and the health of employees within workers comp systems. This is also the best way to help workplaces reduce costs and improve productivity, and the best way to reduce the cost burden on the community," Dr Wyatt said.
Dr Wyatt, a vocal advocate for increased transparency in data relating to workers' compensation, noted Australia's poor track record in relation to the health outcomes of compensation systems.
"Employees with a compensable condition have poorer outcomes than those who have the same condition in a non compensation situation," says Wyatt. "An individual not back at work after six months has a relatively poor chance of ever returning to work".
"The training, resources and tools available to employees, employers and people who work in the field are limited and complex cases are very hard to manage," says Wyatt.
"There is an opportunity for SafeWork Australia to focus on an unresolved problem that is common to all authorities: that of returning people to health and activity as quickly as possible.
"We need to get our priorities straight. We should not be rearranging the lounge suite while there is mildew growing up the walls," Wyatt said.
The full text of Dr Mary Wyatt's presentation is available at www.rtwmatters.org.
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