Workers' compensation and the challenges posed by changing patterns of work: evidence from Australia.

There is mounting evidence that changes to labour markets that have occurred in industrialised societies over the past three decades – most notably the growth of less secure/more flexible work arrangements – are having significant adverse effects on occupational safety and health. More belatedly, there is a growing awareness that the changes pose serious challenges for existing occupational safety and health regulatory and workers' compensation/social security regimes. In 2001/02, a study was undertaken of the problems and policy responses to changing work arrangements in eight of nine Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. The study was based on focus groups and individual interviews with 63 agency officials and 40 union and employer representatives, as well as analysis of agency guidance material, reports and statistics. It was found that changing work arrangements posed serious problems for workers' compensation regimes in terms of coverage, utilisation, claims handling, return-to-work programmes and premium compliance. Despite a number of practical responses, agencies were having trouble rectifying these problems.