An analysis of psychological injury workers’ compensation claims in NSW between 2012 and 2021, undertaken by researchers from Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, found they have more than doubled in the State's health and social care (HSC) sector, rising from 6.7 to 13.5 per cent of all claims.
Of great concern is that there were twice the number of accepted psychological injury claims per 1,000 HSC workers than all other industries combined.
The most common psychological injuries were stress and anxiety conditions followed by depressive disorders. The most common causes of mental stress among the claimants were workplace harassment and bullying, work pressure, and exposure to workplace or occupational violence.
Female HSC workers were more likely to suffer a work-related psychological injury, possibly, according to the researchers, because they were more likely to experience bullying, work-related harassment and other forms of violence that are the most common causes of work-related psychological injuries".
The researchers concluded that greater efforts are needed to prevent work-related psychological injury in the HSC industry and support affected workers. The different patterns of psychological injury claims across occupations suggest that interventions should be tailored to each occupational group.
Source: OHS Alert. Incidence, trends and factors associated with psychological injury among health and social care workers in New South Wales, Australia: a retrospective cohort study of workers’ compensation claims. [Abstract] Asmare Gelaw et al, Australia, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online August 2024, doi: https://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2024/08/17/oemed-2024-109410.
