Emma Morris "Laboratory Acquired Infections and You: Accident Compensation in New Zealand"

Laboratory Acquired Infections and You: Accident Compensation in New Zealand

The ‘bad old days’ in New Zealand were pretty rough for workers’ injury compensation. Compensation was difficult to obtain and payouts were meagre, with no focus on worker rehabilitation and injury prevention. In 1966 The Royal Commission on Compensation for Personal Injury in New Zealand was formed, with Sir Owen Woodhouse leading an injury compensation revolution for the working class. The resulting report was nothing short of radical, the key proposal being a no-fault 24-hour compensation scheme for anyone in New Zealand injured through an accident. The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) was born in 1974, and there’s still nothing else like it in the world.

The ACC scheme has survived through the decades and paid out $5,731,562,907 in injury compensation to New Zealanders in 2023 alone. But how well does the 50-year-old ACC scheme address the modern risks associated with working with infectious disease agents in the laboratory? Does it cover laboratory acquired infections in New Zealand? Would you be entitled to compensation if you got infected through your laboratory job? Join me for a historical review of accident compensation in New Zealand and a discussion about the key issues for laboratory workers. Australian members are encouraged to join this webinar to discuss the differences between accident compensation in Australia and New Zealand!