Members are reminded to exercise caution when it comes to participating in school camps, trips and extra-curricular activities.
In 2020, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) and Industrial Court of Queensland (ICQ) upheld WorkCover’s rejection of a compensation claim for an injury sustained by a member of our union during a school trip.
IEU-QNT Industrial Officer Vaishi Vigh said following the QIRC and ICQ decisions, our union advised members to avoid volunteering for camps, trips or extra-curricular excursions unless their employer guaranteed the following:
- The provision of specific and additional insurance from the school; and
- A statement that any emerging activities will be covered by the insurance.
“Many school trips and camps require staff participation in some activities, and employers may consider these types of activities (and staff members’ participation in these) to be honorary and voluntary in so far as those occur outside employees’ paid ordinary hours of work,” Vaishi said.
“Unfortunately, the lesson from the Glass v Workers Compensation Regulator case in 2020 is that members who sustain an injury during a school camp or trips may not be fully covered and will have to fund their own medical rehabilitation costs and any other associated expenses, including loss of income.
