Despite the expected surge in claims by those most commonly exposed to COVID-19, such as healthcare and social assistance workers, this data was still surprising, according to the firm.

Special counsel and manager of the TSP Brisbane office, Trent Johnson, said that whilst those in Queensland “sanitised and washed like their lives depended on it”, common law claims were increasing.

“For all of our concern about health and hygiene, we have seen a reversal of the steady downward trend in statutory claims and an increasing trajectory in common law claims,” he said.

“It begs the question – have Queensland employers been too concerned about resourcing COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing, sanitizer and face masks to be worried about maintaining and improving existing safety standards in the workplace?

“Has the distraction of a pandemic wound back the clock and meant that workers in Queensland are now more exposed than prior to COVID-19 to suffering potentially life-changing injury in their workplaces?”

The annual WorkCover report showed that statutory claim lodgements for 2020-21 were up from 90,064 in 2019-20 to 94,502, and common law claims were up from 3,001 to 3,323.

“All this during a time when industry had slowed and workplaces across the country were largely deserted for a considerable part of the year,” Mr Johnson added.

VIEW ALL

“Workplace health and safety laws don’t come to an end just because an employee works from home. The latest WorkCover figures could be due to COVID-19 claims or maybe there is another reason that we need to explore.

“Whichever way you look at it, the increase in claims is a very real concern and a trend which needs to be investigated.”