Work injury advice when you're a contractor
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Work injury advice when you're a contractor
In summary: Being a contractor doesn't rule out compensation. Depending on how the work was arranged, you may be covered by a workers' compensation scheme, and a negligence claim can be open where someone failed to take reasonable care.
What should you know if you're a contractor injured at work?
If you were working as a contractor, you may assume that a work injury leaves you without any cover, but that isn’t always the case. The label on your contract doesn’t settle the question, because some workers' compensation schemes treat certain contractors as workers for claim purposes, even when your contract calls you an independent contractor.
Whether you're covered can depend on a few things:
- your state or territory
- what the contract says
- who directed the work
- who supplied the equipment
- how the injury happened
A separate fault-based claim may also be relevant if another person or business was negligent, meaning they failed to take reasonable care in the circumstances.
Can you speak with us about a contractor work injury claim?
Yes. You can talk to us about whether a claim pathway applies to your situation. Maurice Blackburn handles workers' compensation claims across Australia, except in New South Wales and South Australia. Contractor claims turn on paperwork you already have. Send it to us and we'll assess where you stand, then deal with the insurer or scheme for you.
Most of it is probably already in your phone or inbox:
- your contract
- your invoices
- your rosters
- any messages about the job
- site induction records
- incident reports
- your medical notes
- photos of the scene or your injuries
- witness details
- any records showing who controlled the work
Those details help clarify whether workers' compensation, a fault-based claim, or another pathway may be relevant.
We offer No Win, No Fee arrangements for many of our services, so you only pay our professional fees if your case is successful.
We're here to help
Being described as a contractor doesn’t automatically rule out a claim, and it’s worth checking where you stand. Use our free online claim check, or call 1800 111 222 and tell us how the work was set up.