A worker who burnt his toe while he was off work, before developing an infection that led to his toe and then lower leg being amputated, has been awarded workers' compensation.
An "alarming" new report has identified the urgent need for employers to implement health and wellbeing initiatives, after finding more than half of Australian workers are overweight or obese and have moderate to high stress levels.
Coronial inquiries into emergency personnel suicides have recommended employers train managers to identify stress and depression in workers, and introduce mentor programs.
The messages of the national Heads Up initiative appear to be sinking in, with a new report showing the number of employers providing workers with mental health awareness training and information has increased by 29 per cent since the initiative was launched 12 months ago.
A worker who became severely physically disabled after suffering three strokes, which he claims were triggered by work-related stress, has had his workers' comp claim rejected.
The success of an employer's health and wellbeing program hinges on the input of workers, who identify the key wellness areas it needs to focus on each year, its WHS co-ordinator says.
An OHS expert has outlined 10 low-cost ways to encourage workers to be more proactive about their wellbeing, and says a new study on employee resistance to health checks shows some workplaces have a culture of "mistrust".
Most workers are in two minds about participating in workplace health checks, being both concerned about employers interfering in their personal lives, and happy for the opportunity to improve their wellbeing, Dutch researchers have found.
A major employer's move to a new office and shift to an activity-based work system has contributed to a big improvement in employee wellbeing, according to the organisation's people and culture executive general manager.
Employers must do much more than provide OHS materials in multiple languages to ensure the safety of immigrant workers, the UK's Trades Union Congress says. Meanwhile, a Sydney University researcher is calling for employers to reduce the "mental strain" faced by workers from non-English speaking backgrounds.
