About worker health checks
What are WorkHealth health checks?
WorkHealth health checks look at factors that impact on personal health such as what you eat, how much exercise you do, whether you smoke, and how much and how often you drink alcohol.
Health checks involve:
- Completing a short questionnaire
- Having waist circumference, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar measured by a health professional
- Receiving immediate information and advice on results
- Testing blood sugar and blood cholesterol involves taking a few drops of blood using a finger prick.
Workers receive immediate feedback on their results, as well as information and advice on suggested actions, such as visiting their GP for further tests and diagnosis.
Results delivered by health professionals during health checks are only a guide and shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for advice from a doctor or other health care provider.
Who is eligible to apply?
WorkSafe is offering all Victorian employers the chance to provide their workers with free health checks.
Employers are eligible to apply for health checks if they are a Victorian business or have Victorian based operations and pay a WorkSafe Injury Insurance premium, or are an approved WorkSafe self-insurer.
How do I apply?
If you are an eligible employer and would like to apply for health checks, you can apply now or call our Advisory Service 1800 136 089 to get an application pack sent to you.
If you are interested but are not located in an area where health checks are currently available, you can register your interest in receiving worker health checks here. You will be contacted by WorkSafe once health checks become available in your area.
How much does it cost?
Organisations with an annual remuneration of less than $10million will be fully reimbursed for the costs of health checks, meaning they are free. After you have applied WorkSafe will select a suitable endorsed service provider on your behalf. Please contact WorkSafe on 1800 136 089 if you have any questions.
For organisations with an annual remuneration of $10million or above, health checks will range between $30 and $85 per worker (including GST). WorkSafe will reimburse $30 (including GST) per worker towards the total cost of these health checks. After you have applied, you will be contacted by a WorkSafe representative who will assist with the selection of an endorsed service provider. You can view postcode availability and costs of endorsed service providers here.
How do I determine my annual remuneration?
Annual remuneration is the amount of remuneration stated in your organisation’s current WorkSafe Injury Insurance policy or registration of approval for self insurance. For insurance purposes, remuneration is more than just payroll and includes:
- Gross wages and salaries (includes overtime and all pay loadings)
- Bonuses and commissions
- Allowances (includes clothing, meals, travel etc)
- Items included as part of an employment package and any fringe benefits within the meaning of the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986; and
- Any superannuation benefit paid by an employer in respect of a worker.
For more information about rateable remuneration see the WorkSafe website.
How will my organisation be reimbursed?
The endorsed service provider will invoice your organisation for the cost of the completed worker health checks. It is recommended that your organisation pays the invoice at this stage.
If your organisation has an annual remuneration of less than $10million you will be required to:
- Generate a tax invoice to WorkSafe for the cost of worker health checks, and attach the activity report that is provided by the endorsed service provider.
- WorkSafe will pay the invoice to your organisation within 14 days
- If at this point, the endorsed service provider invoice is outstanding, your organisation will be required to finalise payment with the endorsed service provider.
If your organisation has an annual remuneration $10million or above you will be required to:
- Firstly, calculate your reimbursement payment. Do this by multiplying the total number of workers who received worker health checks by $30 (GST inclusive)
- Generate and forward a tax invoice for your reimbursement payment to WorkSafe and attach the activity report that is provided by the endorsed service provider.
- The remaining balance of the endorsed service provider invoice represents the amount your organisation is required to contribute towards the cost of worker health checks.
- WorkSafe will pay your reimbursement to your organisation within 14 days.
- If at this point, the endorsed service provider invoice is outstanding your organisation will be required to finalise payment with the endorsed service provider.
Who will be providing health checks?
In order to be reimbursed, employers must utilise the services of an endorsed service provider.
Service providers have been endorsed based on their ability and experience in providing high quality health check services to employers.
To become endorsed, service providers are required demonstrate their level of accreditation and qualifications, as well as the experience of key personnel.
All endorsed service providers are required to complete a competency based training program developed by WorkHealth and delivered in partnership with RMIT University.
Service providers will be endorsed for a period of two years. During this time, providers will be monitored to ensure the service delivery standards set by WorkSafe are consistently met.
View current endorsed service providers here
Can I choose my endorsed service provider?
If your organisation has an annual remuneration less than $10 million, WorkSafe will select a suitable endorsed service provider on your behalf. Please contact WorkSafe on 1800 136 089 if you have any questions.
If your organisation has an annual remuneration of $10 million or above, a WorkSafe representative will contact you to assist with the selection of an endorsed service provider.
What qualifications do endorsed service providers have?
Worker health checks will be delivered by WorkHealth endorsed service providers. All endorsed service providers are required to follow strict standards established by WorkHealth.
All health checks will be conducted by qualified health professionals including Victorian Registered Medical Practitioners, Victorian Registered Nurses, Exercise Physiologists and/or Dietitians practising within the scope of their qualifications.
All health professionals will be appropriately supervised (by a Victorian Registered Medical Practitioner and/or Division 1 Registered Nurse) at all times. All health professionals are also required to hold a current certificate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Can I choose a different health check?
All endorsed service providers deliver health checks in the same way and are required to follow strict guidelines set by WorkSafe.
If you think your workforce could benefit from additional services – for example skin checks for skin cancer, you can negotiate this independently with your heath service provider. You will be required to pay for any additional services you offer workers.
If you offer any additional services, you must ensure that workers are clearly informed that these additional services are separate to health checks, and being provided independent of WorkSafe.
Can I access health checks more than once?
No. WorkHealth wants all Victorian workers to have the opportunity to undergo a health check through the participation of their employers. For this reason, health checks are limited to one per worker.
What happens if a worker is identified at 'high risk'?
If you have participated in the worker health check and are at high risk of diabetes, you may be eligible to take part in a free lifestyle change program. Programs available include the Life! Taking Action on Diabetes Program and the Reset your Life program. Workers identified as high risk will be advised to see their GP to learn more about this opportunity.
What happens to the results?
Privacy is important. As part of the health check, personal details will not be collected unless a worker wishes to provide them for evaluation purposes at the end of the health check.
An employer will not receive personal information about a worker’s health. In larger workplaces, where more than 50 workers have health checks, employers will receive a summary of results, but this will not contain any personal details. The type of information the employer would receive back could, for example, include that 30 per cent of their workforce are smokers.
Providing the employer with this type of information will help them better understand and plan what they can do to support their workers in achieving healthier lifestyles.
What about privacy of information for employers and workers?
Privacy and confidentiality of workers and employers is protected both in the way in which the health checks are undertaken and the way health information is collected and used. Any information that allows individual workers to be identified will not be provided to employers.
WorkHealth requires that health checks must be delivered in an area that allows for privacy. If your workplace does not allow for this, you can seek assistance from your service provider to help you deliver health checks at a venue where privacy can be assured.
Participation in WorkHealth programs by employers and their workforce is voluntary. Any programs that are part of the WorkHealth initiative will demonstrate that privacy is protected and individual workers who participate in WorkHealth programs are not discriminated against or treated in a prejudicial way.
It is unlawful for employers to discriminate against workers on health grounds and this will be strongly reinforced throughout the program. All health data will remain strictly confidential between the worker and health professionals.
Is feedback about workforce health provided to employers?
If an organisation has more than 50 workers participating in health checks, the employer will be given the option to receive a feedback profile which provides details on the overall health of the workforce. The type of information in this report could, for example, include that 30 per cent of the workforce are smokers.
Employers can use this information when introducing or expanding workplace activities aimed at improving worker health and wellbeing. If you don’t want to receive this report you should let your service provider know.
WorkSafe recommends that larger workplaces that choose to receive an employer feedback report should share the feedback from the report with workers (for example, with a Health and Wellness Committee).
