Mental injury essentials

We’re all familiar with physical injuries at work.

But did you know that there are mental health hazards at work too?

We’ll explore what a mental injury is, what to look out for, and how to show your support.

A mental injury is an illness or condition that affects a person’s mood, feelings, thoughts, or behaviours.

Sometimes, these are called psychological or psychiatric injuries.

Mental injuries and illnesses can include conditions like depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

A mental injury is work-related when your job is a significant contributing factor to the injury.

This might be due to job demands, an incident at work, or the workplace environment.

There is an exclusion though, if the mental injury was caused by reasonable management action, taken in a reasonable way, like performance management or a transfer.

Mental injuries can be caused by being exposed to or witnessing a traumatic event in the line of work, such as violence or a severe accident, or even a near miss.

This can lead to conditions like PTSD.

Mental injuries can also develop over time if a person is exposed to mental health risks at work.

These are called psychosocial hazards. They can include things like bullying or workplace conflict.

There are also less obvious ones, such as stress, fatigue, or low reward and recognition.

If you want to know more about identifying and managing psychosocial hazards, visit our website.

A work-related mental injury can be the main injury or illness in a WorkCover claim.

You might hear us call this a primary mental injury.

But did you know that mental injuries can also happen after or in connection to a physical injury at work?

This can happen over time and is sometimes called a secondary mental injury.

It might be because the person is struggling to cope or adapt to life with a physical injury. Or, their physical injury might have been caused by a traumatic or distressing event, like an assault.

They could be worried about what the future holds, and how their physical injury will impact their life.

They might feel anxious or uncertain about going back to work, or what people might think when they return.

That’s why, as an employer, you play a key role when your worker is injured or becomes ill at work.

Your response to your worker’s injury, whether it's mental or physical, is critical to their recovery.

There are lots of positive things you can do, from checking in with your worker when they’re off work and supporting them to get back to work.

We cover these topics and others to help you better understand, manage, and prevent work-related mental injuries. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to find out more.

Mental health is just as important as physical health at work.

But there’s a lot of confusion around work-related mental injury claims, so let’s set the record straight.

We’ll unpack five common myths and give you the facts.

The first myth is that mental illness is a sign of weakness, and workers just need to be more resilient.

The fact is being resilient is not a guaranteed shield against mental health challenges.

A workplace mental injury can affect anyone.

Seeking help and being open about struggles with mental health are signs of strength, not weakness.

You can help create a workplace culture where people feel comfortable to talk about mental health.

Myth two: if someone doesn’t appear sick or stressed, they can’t have a mental injury.

Fact: mental distress isn’t always visible, or clear.

You can watch out for subtle shifts in behaviour, and if you notice any changes, gently ask if they're okay.

If someone’s not coping, ask how you can support them, and connect them to professional help if they need it.

Our website has links to services that can help.

Myth number three is that it’s not safe for a worker to return to work after a mental injury, and they’ll never fully recover.

The fact is many people can and do recover fully from a mental injury. The right support can really help.

Just like with a physical injury, being back at work in a supportive environment, feeling valued and doing light duties can help people recover sooner from a mental injury.

As an employer, you play a key role in this.

Myth number four is that you can’t foresee risks that might lead to mental injuries in a workplace.

Fact: you can take proactive steps to prevent mental injuries. These mental health risks are called psychosocial hazards.

Employers are responsible for ensuring a safe environment, and that includes a mentally healthy workplace.

Don’t worry, we have plenty of resources to support you. Search ‘psychosocial hazards’ on our website.

Myth number five: if a worker has a previous or existing mental illness, then WorkCover can’t accept their claim.

The fact is, just like physical health, work has the potential to make an existing mental injury or illness worse.

Or a worker could develop a new injury or diagnosis that’s unrelated to any previous mental health challenges.

That’s why it’s important to foster a mentally healthy workplace.

To dive deeper into supporting better mental health in your workplace, and find services to support your worker, visit WorkSafe.qld.gov.au/mentalinjury.

Taking the time to understand what each person does in a WorkCover claim can help things run more smoothly.

Working together leads to better outcomes, including a safe and early recovery and return to work for your worker.

In this video, we’ll cover:

who’s involved in a WorkCover claim, and

what each person’s role is.

If you’re an employer, your role is to:

Stay in touch with your worker and offer your support while they’re off work and as they get back.

Be flexible and take time to understand your worker’s injury or illness, and how it’s affecting them.

And, help your worker to get back safely by offering suitable duties, or tasks they can do as they recover.

Your worker’s supervisor, or your workplace return to work coordinator, will usually be the main point of contact with your worker.

They should talk regularly, keep things on track, help your worker stay engaged and support them to get back into the team.

Regular and open communication with your worker supports their recovery and can increase the chance of them getting back to work sooner.

Find a full list of your roles and responsibilities on our website.

Your worker’s main role is to focus on getting better.

This means taking part in their treatment and following medical advice.

They should stay in touch with you, ask for help if they need it and communicate openly and honestly.

Once a doctor says it’s safe, they also need to get back to work.

A doctor, specialist or health provider will provide treatment for your worker and guide their progress.

They’ll give advice on what tasks your worker can do safely as they recover.

This can help you with finding suitable duties for your worker.

They’ll also provide work capacity certificates and might request funding from WorkCover for surgery or treatment sessions, if needed.

There are other roles that may sit within your workplace.

If you’re a larger business, you’ll have a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Co-ordinator. They’ll work closely with your worker during their recovery.

Some employers will also have an Injury Management Coordinator, a type of rehabilitation provider.

They can do workplace assessments before your worker goes back to work and put together an Injury Management Plan.

Finally, WorkCover’s role is to support communication between everyone involved and help overcome any barriers.

We’ll plan your worker's recovery and return to work. This might include helping you find suitable duties for them to do. We’ll work out what can be paid for and make payments.

We’ll also make decisions about each claim based on the rules and guidelines, including the law in Queensland.

When everyone works as a team, challenges can be discussed and solved together.

You can always talk to WorkCover if there are any changes or issues – we’re here to help.

Has one of your workers been injured at work?

Finding jobs or tasks your worker can do while they’re recovering is a great way to support them as they settle back into work. It’s good for your business too.

Here’s why:

Offering meaningful lighter work, also called suitable duties, shows your worker you care about their recovery.

It keeps your team strong, can help lower your claims costs, and builds a supportive company culture.

Workers who are actively engaged at work during their recovery have been shown to get better sooner. By providing suitable duties, you’re helping your worker to recover more quickly.

That means a quicker return to full duties, and less interruption to your business.

The biggest cost of a WorkCover claim is usually due to weekly compensation, or time off work.

This is where you can have a positive impact on the claim.

Supporting your worker to get back to work sooner can lower your claims costs, reducing the impact on your WorkCover premium.

You could start by asking your worker what tasks they think they could safely do while they’re recovering, in line with their doctor’s advice.

But there’s more.

Providing suitable duties means you retain your worker’s valuable skills and experience.

This can reduce staff turnover, saving on hiring and training costs.

Supporting your worker also improves the morale of your whole workforce.

That’s because it shows you care, which keeps your workers engaged and inspires loyalty.

Workers who felt unsupported by their employer during their claim were more likely to be off work for longer. They were also at greater risk of experiencing mental health issues in connection to their injury.

This uncertainty can be why some workers seek legal advice about their claim.

This means you have an important role to play.

If you need help identifying suitable duties, there are resources available on our website.

If you have a WorkCover claim, reach out and see how we can help you support your worker to get back into work as they recover.

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to learn more about supporting your workers.