The agency created regulations to promote productive, healthy and safe workplaces for workers and employers in New South Wales.
The Authority enforces their role 1324 providing a list of rules that employers must follow in the form of a legal legislation.
[9] Once an investigation has concluded, WorkCover may require employers to improve their occupational health and safety practices, or refrain from authorizing certain work.
[12] WorkCover is responsible for providing protection to workers and employers in the form of a compensation system for work sustained injuries, which can provide weekly payments, lump sums for permanent impairment (and pain and suffering where applicable), payment of medical bills, provision of legal assistance to pursue a claim, and/or intensive rehabilitation assistance.
The return to work coordinator can either be an employee nominated by the employer, or a person contracted specifically for this purpose.
The claimant shall provide the insurer with details about the following:[13] Payments will be made to the injured worker on a weekly basis, the amount dependent on the severity of the injury.
[13] Before people and businesses undertake high risk activities in the workplace, they may be required to: WorkCover's Licensing Solutions Unit administer, advise, assess and approve applications for licences, permits, registrations and notifications.
They are in charge of the regulation of explosive chemicals, in terms of unsupervised handling, use, manufacture, storage, import, supply and transport.
Licences for explosives will only be given for commercial manufacturing, mining and quarrying, and anyone applying for these licenses must have extensive background checks from police and security agencies.
Chiropractors, exercise physiologists, hearing service providers, independent consultants, osteopaths, physiotherapists, psychologists and counsellors, and remedial massage therapists are all subject to these requirements.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2000, codes of practice may be made under approval of the Minister for Finance and Services.
Employers, workers, designers, manufacturers and suppliers should follow the codes of practice in accordance with the legislation and associated regulations.
Under NSW law, a variety of systems, equipment, products and materials must meet Australian Standards.
The requirements that are outlined are quality, performance, construction design, endurance time specificity, systems or processes and certain hazards and controls.
In December 2005, the Independent Commission Against Corruption found that 23 WorkCover employees had issued false certificates of competency, which ICAC states significantly undermined workplace safety on building sites.
[18] ICAC further states that systemic corruption risks were exposed by the incident: [The ICAC] identified a number of deficiencies such as sharing of logon details and passwords, lack of supervision and controls in approving and printing certificates of competency, and lack of reconciliation between certificates issued and applicant fees.