Thousands of Australians have become infected with Covid-19 whilst at work and the costs associated with Covid-19 related claims are expected to reach as much as $638M over the next 12 months with the ease of restrictions and people returning to normal activities in NSW.
Experts have warned businesses and employers that they could face class actions or lawsuits from staff who catch the virus at work.
According to the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), to date there have been approximately 1590 Covid-19 claims for workers compensation since the start of the Pandemic in 2020 until the 1st of October, amongst those there are approximately 1198 since the 16th of June attributed to the Delta outbreak that has caused the most recent outbreak in Australia. As at 31st of July 2021, $7.1 million had been paid by Insurers for Covid-19 related claims.
According to a SIRA spokesperson, new modelling has recently been done in line with the Doherty Institute’s work projecting that the cost impact of covid-19 infections for the 12 months after the reopening of NSW could be around $638 million, this figure is based on 80% full vaccination of the adult population.
Since the beginning of the pandemic up until 24 September this year, insurers have reported 1442 Covid-19 notifications and claims to SIRA.
Workplaces with highest risk of Covid-19 exposure:
The SIRA data revealed some of the most dangerous places to work when it comes to the risk of being infected with Covid. The industry most affected was supermarket and grocery stores followed by the police service and takeaway food services. Hospitals came in fourth followed by correctional and detention services and department stores. Aged care residential services and air and space transport were also considered amongst the top 10 most dangerous industries in terms of exposure.
As the economy has begun to reopen, employers must prepare to deal with a surge in cases and implement all available resources to minimise exposure and help stop the spread.
Source: news.com.au
Title: Workers compensation claims for Catching Covid on the job could hit $638M
Read Time: 9 minutes