There is no denying that many workers in Australia and worldwide for that matter deal with mental stress while on the job.
In an effort to ease such problems, Safe Work Australia recently unveiled its initial report on work-related mental stress and its associated costs based on an analysis of Australian workers compensation claims data from 2008-09 to 2010-11.
The report includes comparisons of rates of mental stress claims across industry sectors and occupations for male and female workers but does not distinguish between public and private sector workers.
High Levels of Responsibility Can Lead to Stress
The report shows the highest rates of mental stress claims were by workers with high levels of responsibility for the wellbeing and safety of others or workers at risk in dangerous situations. These jobs include train drivers and assistants, police officers, prison officers, ambulance officers and paramedics.
Other important data from the report:
- Mental stress claims are the most expensive form of workers comp claim. These claims result in workers often being absent from work for extended periods.
- Mental stress claims are predominantly made by women
- More professionals make claims for mental stress than any other occupation. A third of these claims are due to work pressure
- Wazards resulting in mental stress claims vary with worker age. Younger workers are more likely to make claims as a result of exposure to workplace or occupational violence. Work pressure is the main cause of mental stress claims for older workers
- Women were around three times more likely than men to make a workers comp claim as a result of work-related harassment or workplace bullying
- Work pressure was stated as the cause of the majority of claims in industries with the highest claim rates.
You can download the report at:
Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: [email protected].
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