Injury management and rehabilitation

Injury management

Injury management focuses on early reporting, appropriate rehabilitation and return-to-work strategies to help the injured worker return to work as in a timely manner and as safely as possible.

There are three processes involved in injury management which all relevant stakeholders, including the insurer, employer, injured worker, the approved rehabilitation provider, nominated treating doctor and the industrial union (where applicable) must participate in. These are as follows.

injury management program
return-to-work program
personal injury plan.

Rehabilitation

Injury management and establishing a personal injury plan is an important part of rehabilitation. There are obligations for individuals and organisations to help in the rehabilitation process of returning injured workers to suitable and sustainable employment.

The employer, the injured worker and the nominated treating doctor all need to be involved in managing the injury from the time of the accident to the time when the worker returns to suitable work, or their claim is settled.

An approved rehabilitation provider acts as an independent party to help and negotiate with the parties involved in the worker's rehabilitation, on behalf of the injured worker. Only approved rehabilitation providers are entitled to provide vocational rehabilitation.

Vocational rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation is organised as part of the personal injury plan and involves assessing the needs of the injured worker with regards to providing training and other services to help with maintaining or returning the worker to suitable employment. It is the insurer’s responsibility to make sure this vocational rehabilitation will lead to employment opportunities or an increase in earnings for the injured worker.

Workplace rehabilitation provider approval

Refer to the Heads of Workers Compensation Authorities ‘Guide: Nationally consistent approval framework for workplace rehabilitation providers.

For more information on approved workplace rehabilitation providers, visit the workplace rehabilitation provider licensing page and the list of approved rehabilitation providers page.