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Impairment assessment

Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition

The Impairment Assessment Guidelines (Third Edition) – IAG3 - are now live and effective from 1 October 2025.
They have been developed to facilitate a fair, objective and consistent approach to whole person impairment assessments.

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What is an impairment assessment?

An impairment assessment is undertaken if a worker has a permanent impairment resulting from a work injury. When the work injury has stabilised, the worker's claims manager will discuss referral to an accredited impairment assessor.

What is an impairment assessor?

Impairment assessors are medical practitioners that are accredited under the Accreditation Scheme established by the Minister for Industrial Relations. Their role is to assess injured workers and prepare assessment reports in accordance with the relevant edition of the Impairment Assessment Guidelines to determine:

  • whether the injury has stabilised
  • whether the worker's injury has resulted in an impairment
  • whether the impairment is permanent
  • the degree of whole person impairment resulting from the work injury.

Further information about impairment assessments is detailed in section 22 of the Return to Work Act 2014- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site.

Report template for physical, noise induced hearing loss, and psychiatric assessment

An electronic copy of the Impairment assessment report template for physical, noise induced hearing loss and psychiatric assessment, which is mandatory to use, is available on our Impairment assessor news and resources page- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site.

Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme Review

A revised Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme (IAAS) is now in place. The updated IAAS establishes a clearer, more accountable framework that strengthens the Whole Person Impairment (WPI) process for both accredited assessors and injured workers.

  • Ongoing accreditation – Assessors are now required to complete regular training and upskilling to maintain their accreditation.
  • Enhanced capability – A strengthened learning and development framework supports assessors in building and maintaining their expertise.
  • Professional peer support – Assessors have access to peer support and resources to assist them in conducting assessments and navigating the WPI process.

Download the Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme- external sit

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Accredited assessors list

A sortable list of accredited assessors, including instructions for use, is available for download and can be filtered by body system

This list is regularly updated as assessors details change or as accreditation requirements are completed.

Updates can be made by email to wpi@rtwsa.com or contact Injury Assessment Services on 08 8238 5960.

Accreditation process

Impairment Assessors for the Return to Work scheme are accredited in accordance with the Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme established by the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector.

Eligible applicants are accredited by the Minister once they have successfully completed the required Impairment Assessor online training modules. These modules provide education on applying the Impairment Assessment Guidelines.

The applicant is then added to the list of accredited assessors.

Applicants (aside from Psychiatrists) are strongly encouraged to complete training in the American Medical Association Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition (or 4th Edition for Visual System), to support their learning.

If you have any questions regarding current assessors or applying to become an assessor, please email or contact Impairment Assessment Services on 08 8238 5960.

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