1. GOLDCOASTBULLETIN.COM.AU SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14 2015 COAST WEEKEND 17
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INCE 2010 Peter Sparks has
rarely managed more than a
few months of full-time work
at a time.
At 46, Peter should be close to the
peak of his earning capacity but
instead the Gold Coaster has spent
the last five years pleading with
WorkCover Queensland, Total Claim
Solutions (QBE) and his former
employer, AE Smith.
Peter, of Varsity Lakes, thought he
was doing the right thing by donning
a specialised safety helmet while
working on the Gold Coast
University Hospital.
He barely gave it a second thought
when then-employer AE Smith
allegedly left workers to share the
same helmet while using a new piece
of equipment in 2010.
“It’s called a cold cut saw,” Peter
says. “So you cut metal and it doesn’t
heat the metal or create sparks.
“We all had a meeting about it ...
there’s a helmet provided with a flip-
down visor and ear muffs.
“So when you use that saw, take
your helmet off and wear the one
provided.
“There are probably about 10, 15
guys a day using that saw and helmet
and within a week of this starting I’ve
got golden staph all over my scalp,”
he alleges.
Straight away the then second-
year apprentice took time off work to
recover – allegedly the start of a five-
year battle that has left him in a
financial rut, still suffering from the
infection that allegedly struck him
down on the job.
Peter accessed benefits through
his income protection insurance
with Total Claim Solutions (QBE)
but claims his payments were
stopped in 2013 after six months,
when he was informed his problem
was actually a “health and safety
issue” as opposed to a “medical
issue”.
Having already informed
WorkCover Queensland, Peter made
a claim in early 2013 and was denied
any support with WorkCover officials
telling him he would be unable to
provide the necessary proof to
support his assumption that his
golden staph was as a result of his
employer’s actions.
An Office of Safe Work
Queensland spokesman tells Public
Defender he’s unable to comment
on specific claims but confirmed
“proof” was crucial in any worker’s
submission.
“Anyone making a workers’
compensation claim must provide
proof to support their claim, as
required under the Act,” the
spokesman says.
“WorkCover carefully considers
the facts presented when making
decisions to either accept or reject an
application for compensation.”
The Safe Work Queensland
spokesman adds: “Any worker who is
unhappy with a decision on a claim
can seek a review of the decision
through the Workers’ Compensation
Regulator, which is a totally
independent entity.”
Peter, a father-of-two has been
unable to work until recently.
In early 2013, AE Smith sacked
Peter, allegedly for not completing
his apprenticeship in a timely fashion
but the aggrieved former employee
says he did everything he could to get
back to work.
“The reason I was upset was every
time I went back to work they would
send me home,” he tells Public
Defender.
“They said you’re not allowed to
be here because you’ve still got your
staph and nobody wants to work
with you.”
Several calls to AE Smith’s
switchboard have yielded no result.
He attempted to go back to work
in December 2010 but by April of
2011 he had little choice but to take
more time off.
Again he went back to work from
July to November 2012 before leaving
AE Smith for good.
It was not until late 2014 that
Peter’s condition improved
enough for him to take on part-time
work with Mudgeeraba Special
School before taking a full-time
position as groundsman with
Elanora State School this year.
“I’ve always had the staph
infections since 2010,” he tells Public
Defender.
“They start to get better and I’d be
sent back to work and they would just
start slowly getting worse until I’d be
sent off site or away from TAFE,”
Peter says.
“They were never fully allowed to
heal 100 per cent before income
protection would force me back.
“The last time I claimed income
protection in November 2012 they
cut me off in April 2013.
“At that point I was about as sick
as I’d ever been.”
Public Defender has left
messages and emailed AE Smith’s
spokesperson several times in the
past two weeks to no avail – the
spokesperson has not returned calls
or responded to messages left
regarding Peter Sparks. Another
seniorAE Smith employee – who was
approached for this article – declined
to comment to Public Defender but
said he would pass a message on to
his superiors.
Got a gripe you want Public Defender to
shine a light on? Email
jack.harbour@news.com.au
P U B L I C D E F E N D E R
BATTLE
LEAVES
DEEP
SCARSA virulent golden staph infection has
plagued Peter Sparks for five years,
hampering his ability to work full-time
ANY WORKER UNHAPPY WITH A
DECISION ON A CLAIM CAN SEEK A
REVIEW THROUGH THE WORKERS’
COMPENSATION REGULATOR WHICH
IS A TOTALLY INDEPENDENT ENTITY
WITH JACK HARBOUR
Peter Sparks has been battling golden staph since 2010 after it first emerged on his scalp. Picture: RICHARD GOSLING