The Scenic Rim Regional Council, located in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, is a kind of super council, established in 2008 via the amalgamation of the Shire of Boonah with parts of the Shire of Beaudesert and the City of Ipswich. The amalgamated council has a total of five depots, with the two major depots located in Beaudesert and Boonah. It employs between 350-360 employees on many different worksites, and is self-insured, with one Rehab Coordinator and two Rehab Officers responsible for the injury management program.

Ursula Lone, the Council’s Rehab Coordinator, originally worked for the Beaudesert Shire. After the amalgamation, she felt that it was important to provide workers with a clear and consistent idea of what they could expect from the injury management system, and what their responsibilities were.

“When I started in my role as Rehab Coordinator, I was doing inductions and I found that workers didn’t have any information to take away with them. Since we were self-insured, I thought it was important to prepare something for them to keep.”

The RTW team prepared a booklet to give to workers during induction, explaining:

• Self insurance;
• The goals of the RTW team, which is to eliminate / minimise accidents and promote early recovery and RTW;
• The importance of rehabilitation;
• Responsibilities of workers;
• The role of the supervisor / manager;
• The duties of the rehabilitation and return to work coordinator RRTWC
• Suitable duties;
• The benefits associated with rehabilitation;
• Processes to be followed if someone sustains an injury at work;
• What happens when someone is unable to return to regular duties;
• Rehabilitation processes, using a flowchart graphic;
• Who is responsible for what costs, especially when the doctor’s bill exceeds the Q-Comp allowance for a particular treatment / service; and
• The Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

   
They also created a one page handout for workers, outlining:

• Worker’s responsibilities if there is an injury;
• The Supervisor’s / manager’s role; and
• A checklist of the injury management process.

Workers have responded positively to the rehab team’s initiative. Some have reported taking the booklet to their doctor. Others have said that because of the booklet, they know what to do when the unfortunate circumstance of injury arises. And outdoor workmen have told Ursula that they carry the booklet around with them in their workbags.

RTW and injury management information is also incorporated into monthly toolbox talks, and mini training courses called “Take 5”. Workers take turns reading aloud from the booklet, and then there’s a quiz. Other topics covered by the toolbox talks include manual handling, workers’ comp, bullying and harassment.

“We have large posters around the workplace explaining who we [the injury management staff] are and what we do. We also have posters outlining everyone’s responsibilities in terms of injury management, and a checklist of what to do if you are injured.”

“I want to make sure that everyone is getting the same information, despite being in different locations,” Ursula says.