A common misconception among employers is that workers compensation premiums will increase due to hiring people with disability. This is definitely not the case. Whether an employer has employed people with disability is irrelevant to the calculation of such premiums. Premiums are based on accidents at work and not the characteristics of particular groups of employees and there is no proof that employees with disability are more susceptible to workplace injury than others.
In fact, research suggests that people with disability can have fewer accidents at work—the workers compensation costs for people with disability can be as low as 4 per cent of the workers compensation costs of other employees (Graffam et al 2002).
The following information has been developed to address frequently asked questions from employers on workers compensation, including the calculation of workers compensation premiums. The pages on our web site all print out in a user friendly format so that you can hand them to employers in hard copy:
In addition, the Office of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council has produced a report that answers the question: Are people with disability at risk at work? See our Related Links for more information.
You may also be interested in the experiences of employers with regard to safety in the workplace and the employment of people with disability:
References
Australian Safety and Compensation Council 2007, Are People with Disability at Risk at Work? A Review of the Evidence, Australian Safety and Compensation Council, Canberra.
Graffam, J, Shinkfield, A, Smith, K, and Polzin, U 2002, ‘Employer benefits and costs of employing a person with a disability’, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 17, pp. 251-263.