Originally published by the Australian Institute of Health & Safety

Mental health conditions accounted for 9 per cent of all serious workers’ compensation claims in 2021-2022, which is a 37 per cent increase since 2017-18, according to a Safe Work Australia report. It also found the median time lost was more than four times greater than that of all physical injuries and illnesses, while workers with claims for mental health conditions experienced poorer return-to-work outcomes and were more likely to experience stigma from colleagues and their employers.

Currently, mental health conditions contribute to a small but increasing proportion of work-related injuries and illnesses in Australia, according to the Psychological health and safety in the workplace report, which drew on three main data sources: the Safe Work Australia National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics, the National Return to Work Survey and the People at Work risk assessment survey.

Of the approximately 10,000 serious mental stress claims in 2021-22, the report said the highest proportion were attributed to work-related harassment and/or workplace bullying (27.5 per cent), work pressure (25.2 per cent) and exposure to workplace or occupational violence (16.4 per cent).

Mental health conditions also represent a significant personal impact as well as a financial cost for workplaces, according to the report, which noted the median compensation paid for mental health conditions was more than three times greater than that of all physical injuries and illnesses.

In 2020-21, the median compensation paid for mental health conditions was $58,615 per serious claim compared to $15,743 per serious claim for all injuries and diseases. 

In addition, mental health conditions are associated with increased loss of productivity. Over the same period, the median time lost for mental health conditions was 34.2 working weeks per serious claim compared to 8.0 working weeks per serious claim for all injuries and diseases.

“Proactively managing psychosocial hazards at work not only protects workers, it also benefits businesses by improving organisational performance and productivity,” said Marie Boland, CEO of Safe Work Australia.

“Under model work health and safety laws, psychosocial hazards and risks are treated the same as physical hazards and risks.”