How spending $50 could save you from a legal nightmare
How to protect yourself from a huge damages bill.
Property
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FOR just $50, home owners could protect themselves from losing hundreds of thousands of dollars if someone is injured while working on their property.
On Monday, The Morning Bulletin reported on a former pool maintenance man who is suing a Rockhampton couple after a wrist injury suffered while working at their property.
The 48-year-old was doing monthly pool maintenance at the Rockhampton property on December 22, 2014 when he tripped on a sprinkler hose and fell.
WorkCover Queensland CEO Bruce Watson said the organisation's household worker insurance covers casual workers, including cleaners, baby-sitters, nannies, gardeners, handymen and in-home carers.
These workers could be neighbours, friends, family members, or people provided by a referral agency.
"Household worker insurance gives you peace of mind protection from potentially significant compensation costs in the event a casual worker you employ is injured while working for you," Mr Watson said.
"In the unfortunate event that your household worker gets injured at your home and lodges a workers' compensation claim, the risks are significant.
"Uninsured home owners and renters could be liable for compensation costs in the tens of thousands of dollars."
Mr Watson pointed to a Brisbane couple, who were holidaying in Europe when their house sitter contacted them to say she had broken three bones in her foot after falling down a flight of stairs.
The injured house sitter spent over three months off work after surgery.
These medical expenses, and wages, were covered by WorkCover through the household worker insurance policy the home owners had.
"At just $50 for two years, household worker insurance is cheap and gives you peace of mind," Mr Watson.
HOME COVER
- Since January 2015, uninsured household worker claims lodged with WorkCover have cost over $35,000 on average, while claims against existing policyholders have cost $16,000 on average.
- Visit worksafe.qld.gov.au for more information
Originally published as How spending $50 could save you from a legal nightmare
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