Doctor supports compo cuts

Press, 28 October 1982, Page 6

Doctor supports compo cuts

PA Wellington An industrial medical officer told members of Parliament yesterday that he fully supported cuts in accident compensation payments because they had been abused by some, sections of the community. Dr G. M. Beacham, who has been employed at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers' Meat Company, said there had been disturbing increases in the number of accident claims in the freezing industry: ~ Making submissions on the Accident Compensation Bill, Dr Beacham said he wel-comed-the move to reduce

compensation for earnings in the first week after an accident from 100 per cent of normal earnings to 80 per cent. He felt there would be a reduction in the number of compensatable accidents as a-result. Dr Beacham said increases in accident rates had been recorded at the meat works in times of industrial strife and at the beginning and end of the football season. . "There is also a variability according to the day of the week, with higher rates of accidents on Mondays and towards the end of the week. There is also a higher com-

pensatable accident rate throughout the duck-shooting season.” The 100 per cent payment system had given "little disincentive to the employee, especially those suffering minor trauma, to remain at work. This disincentive has eroded, in my experience over the last few years, a responsible and workmanlike attitude at work to prevent injury by accident.” Dr Beacham said that in his day-to-day work he had noticed a “positive swing towards increasing pressure on me to provide up to five or seven days off work” for minor injuries by many sections of the work-force who

now considered this time off as their right. Dr Beacham also said that unless employees took upon themselves a personal responsibility for preventing deafness in a “hearingdamaging environment” they should not receive the full benefits of compensation for industrial deafness. “Often when preventive measures are taken to protect an employee against noise levels, this advice is not followed, nor is the treatment. ‘ "The employees tend to discard ear muffs and ear plugs when working in a hearing-damaging environment. usually using the

excuse that the ear muffs or ear plugs are uncomfortable."

There was also an increasing abuse of compensation provisions for accidents when employees were travelling to or from work. Dr Beacham said he was experiencing cases of "diffi-cult-to-diagnose injuries" and. he had to practise detective work to try to eliminate the abuse.

He suspected that many accidents in the home or- oh the sports field were being “transposed” to the place of work to qualify for compensation equal (at present) to 100 per cent of wages in the first week.