If you have been injured at work you are entitled to workers compensation under the WorkCover Queensland ‘no fault’ scheme.

This means you are entitled to compensation regardless of who is at fault. Just suffering an injury at work allows you to be awarded compensation but time limits apply so if you have been injured, you need to act quickly.

1. Report your Accident to Your Employer

First, you must tell your employer about the accident. It needs to be reported and documented. Your employer will have workers compensation insurance (WorkCover QLD) to cover against work accidents – this means the insurance company pays your compensation and NOT your employer. It is a good idea to seek medical attention regardless of the severity of your injury, just to be sure.

2. Seek Legal Advice

The next important step is to seek legal advice from a work injury lawyer. By seeking free advice you will be able to find out all your entitlements. When contacting a work injury lawyer you may be asked a number of questions about you accident.

Questions may include:

•     What was the date of your accident?
•     How did the accident happen?
•     Was anyone to blame for the accident or could the accident have been prevented?
•     Have you reported the accident to your employer?
•     What injuries have you suffered?

Have all the information to hand as the answers to each of the questions will help the work injury lawyer advise you of all your entitlements. Each case is different and seeking flegal advice can make a big difference to your claim for compensation.  We provide free legal advice.

3. Lodge your Work Injury Compensation Claim

Once you have contacted a work injury lawyer you can then find out if you are able to make a common law claim for compensation. A common law claim (or negligence claim) is compensation awarded if your employer or colleagues have been negligent in any way. This is a claim available outside of workers compensation and the services of a personal injury lawyer (or work injury lawyer) are required. When speaking to a lawyer (attorney or solicitor) you can ask if your case qualifies for a no win no fee arrangement.

4. What About "No Win No Fee"?

A no win no fee arrangement usually means that there are no up-front or ongoing costs for your claim. The ongoing costs are covered by the lawyer or law firm and these legal fees and costs are paid at the end once your case has been settled and you have received your workers compensation payout.