Volunteer Workers Need Personal Accident Insurance

As volunteers, insurance is probably the last thing on their minds. And let’s face it, the worker will likely have personal insurance in the unlikely event that something goes terribly wrong, right? Wrong.

Well, they may have their own insurance, but Work Health and Safety legislation require organisations to organise personal accident and public liability insurance on behalf of their volunteers. Therefore, it’s not the responsibility of the volunteer.

What is Personal Accident Insurance and what does it cover? Let’s find out.

What is Personal Accident Insurance?

Personal Accident Insurance is a type of insurance that provides financial compensation and cover for defined out-of-pocket expenses if an accident results in the injury or death of a worker – in this case, a volunteer.

The accident must, however, have occurred while the volunteer was performing authorised voluntary work on your behalf, or while they were travelling to or from that work.

Why is It Necessary?

Volunteers aren’t usually eligible for cover under Workers’ Compensation, which is why it’s vital you ensure your volunteers are otherwise protected, both for medical expenses and other financial loss that may occur as a result of injury (for example due to an inability to perform their paid job).

It can provide a number of benefits including:

  • Lump sum payments for various injuries
  • Weekly payments 
  • Reimbursements for relevant expenses

What does Personal Accident Insurance Cover?

If you have a Personal Accident Insurance policy in place for your volunteer workers, what will they be covered for?

Your volunteer workers will be covered for:

  • $10,000 for medical expenses
  • $5,000 for emergency transport following bodily injury
  • Up to $2,000 for home tutorial for students unable to attend classes for at least five consecutive days
  • Up to $10,000 for home and vehicle modifications in the event of paraplegia or quadriplegia
  • 100% of Weekly Benefit for volunteers unable to carry out their usual occupation 
  • 30% of Weekly Benefit for volunteers unable to carry out their usual domestic duties
  • 100% of sum insured for:
    • Death (as defined in the policy schedule)
    • Loss of sight in both eyes
    • Loss of both feet/hands
    • Paraplegia, quadriplegia and permanent disablement

An Example of How it Can Protect You

Imagine your organisation is hosting a charity event. One of your volunteers’ trips over whilst working at the event and breaks several bones. As a result, she is unable to carry out her usual fulltime job for three months and requires domestic assistance throughout her recovery.

If you have Personal Accident Insurance in place, this worker may be covered for something like this:

  • Paid domestic assistance for one month
  • Paid for loss of wages for three months

Without this cover, well, you may have a law suit on your hands.

Need Cover? We Can Help

Whether we like to accept it or not, accidents are a part of life. With Voluntary Workers Personal Accident Insurance, you can rest assured that your volunteers will be protected should the unexpected occur.

If your organisation or charity, doesn’t currently have Voluntary Workers Personal Accident Insurance, then you and your workers could be at risk.

Contact Grace Insurance in Perth and Sydney for assistance today.

The information contained in this article is meant as a hypothetical guide only. Grace Insurance does not accept any liability arising out of any reliance on the information in this article. We urge you to consult your insurance broker for personal advise, as we only provided general advise.