Workers > What next? > Workers with a serious injury

Workers with a serious injury

WorkCover funds reasonable support services for people who have sustained a work-related injury. These services include paying for appropriate and reasonable medical, rehabilitation and disability services provided by qualified medical experts and service providers.

WorkCover's ability to fund support services is dependant on legislation, your needs (as determined by a qualified medical expert), and the relationship between these needs and your work-related injuries.

Our goal is the same as yours to have you return to as independent a lifestyle as possible after your injury. WorkCover will work with you, your family and treating health professionals to help you return to your day-to-day life including household tasks, social activities, work or study following injury.

To help achieve this WorkCover has developed a range of information brochures as a guide through the stages of recovery.

This section of our website focuses on information for workers with a serious injury and their families. More information about the WorkCover system can be found in the main WorkCover website or in the orange booklet Injured at work? All you need to know about what happens next and the blue booklet The road to recovery – returning to work and life.

What is a serious injury?

Injuries are disruptive and can have an impact on day-to-day life. WorkCover aims to support all injured workers in their recovery.
Some injuries have a lifetime impact and require high levels of support and services over a long period of time. The following injuries have been identified as serious and potentially life-threatening due to a physical trauma experienced in the workplace:

  • Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Amputation of a limb
  • Severe burns
  • Total blindness
  • Brachial plexus injury that results in the loss of the use of a limb
  • Multiple (two or more serious injury types)

These injuries may result in:

  • severe loss of functional ability
  • significant permanent impairment
  • requirement for long-term care services.

Within each of the above injury types there are various levels of severity ranging from mild to severe. Applying classification scales to the above injury types enables the major trauma hospitals and WorkCover to work together to ensure early notification of serious injury and appropriate intervention occur as soon as possible after the injury.
Serious injury claims are managed by Employers Mutual case managers on WorkCovers behalf. These case managers are experienced in working with people who have had a serious injury and can arrange timely access to appropriate supports and services.

How early notification occurs for serious injuries

In collaboration with the two major trauma hospitals in South Australia – the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre, WorkCover has formalised an early notification process for serious injuries to provide early support and intervention for the immediate needs of workers and their family members.

The early notification process will support social workers by assisting with interim accommodation, child care and travel, and help to alleviate concerns regarding income payments by ensuring the claim is received and determined as quickly as possible.

The Early notification for serious injuries process poster and Serious injury immediate needs notification form has been provided to both hospitals.

Serious injury brochures available

WorkCover has developed three information brochures for workers who have sustained a serious injury and their family members:

The brochures provide information to assist injured workers and their families through the stages of injury, recovery and returning to home, leisure and work.

Social rehabilitation entitlements

There are a range of social rehabilitation needs that workers with a serious injury may have such as housing modifications, travel, home help and child care and information on these can be found in chapter 11A of the Injury and Case Management Manual.

Workplace rehabilitation

The case manager may engage the services of a workplace rehabilitation provider who is an external rehabilitation and return to work specialist. Their role is to meet with the injured worker and the treating health professionals to identify and coordinate supports and services, discuss return to the community and work options and develop rehabilitation programs and/or rehabilitation and return to work plans outlining the injured worker's goals and the actions required to achieve these. The plans are then submitted to the case manager for approval.

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