s19B of the Worker’s Compensation Act, has established presumptive rights to compensation for those at risk of exposure who work in:
- Retail, except only on-line
- Health care, ambulance, officers & public health disability & aged care
- Pre-schools, schools & tertiary institutions, libraries, except only on-line teaching services
- Police, emergency & rural fire services, fire brigades
- Refuges, halfway houses & homeless shelters
- Passenger transport services
- Courts & tribunals
- Correctional & detention centres
- Restaurants, clubs & hotels
- Construction industry
- Public entertainment or instruction, cinemas, museums, galleries, cultural institutions & casinos
- Cleaning industry
- Any other type of employment prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this definition.
In short, unless it is established otherwise, it is presumed that a worker contracted COVID-19,
- in the course of employment
- employment was a substantial contributing factor
- in any other case, was the main contributing factor
What does that mean for employers, almost certainly increased premiums & claims, unless you can prove work was not the contributing factor. How? Implement a daily self declaration “COVID-19 free” Work Permit.