A forklift operator will be required to pay back $48,367 after he was found to have been working as a food delivery driver despite being declared injured and receiving workers’ compensation payments. 

35-year-old West Footscray resident Rafi Rafiuzzaman pleaded guilty to a rolled-up charge of fraudulently obtaining payments after the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court heard that the driver had falsely declared unemployment while receiving compensation. 

Rafiuzzaman lodged a claim after he had been hit by a forklift in April 2020, causing fractures in his right foot.   

However, a WorkSafe investigation found that he had continued to work as a gig economy driver, performing over 230 deliveries, including on the day of the injury. 

WorkSafe cancelled the man’s claim in August 2021 after he was found to have earned more than $21,000 from the undeclared employment.   

The court said Rafiuzzaman must repay the money he received while being declared injured and placed him on a 12-month community corrections order requiring him to complete 120 hours of unpaid community work.  

WorkSafe Insurance Business Unit Executive Director Roger Arnold says the regulator continues to work on clamping down on false compensation claims, declaring “zero tolerance for fraudsters”.  

“This shameful behaviour threatens the integrity of the entire scheme and is deeply offensive to injured workers who depend on it for their livelihood,” Mr Arnold said.