Time running out for @Work response

By Richard Braddell

WELLINGTON - Less than half the 99,000 employers passed on to the Crown's workplace accident insurer @Work following ACC's Government mandated exit from that market have so far responded to its communications regarding replacement insurance.

The employers, assembled from tax lists by the Department of Labour regulator, are required to respond to @Work within 10 working days, with the last date falling at the end of next week.

All employers who have not taken private insurance are automatically assigned to @Work for the next three months, after which they are free to make other arrangements should they wish.

@Work's chief executive, Sam Knowles, said the early responders were typically employers who had taken cover but often had not been captured in official data because their insurance was owned by a larger company.

In addition to the "gone, no addresses", some employers were no longer in business while it was to be expected that employers who needed to organise information before completing cover with @Work would take longer.

In spite of the huge volume of business to be processed, Mr Knowles said there were no bottlenecks.

Activity was slower than in the last two weeks of the voluntary market when the seven insurers competing in the market were snowed under with business.

Mr Knowles said there would be no special efforts to track down employers who failed to complete insurance contracts, and those who had not come to @Work's notice by the end of the three month transition period would become the responsibility of the regulator.

Although @Work had still not received any premium income, it had already dealt with "several hundred" claims, Mr Knowles said.