Workers who don't believe they are provided with adequate PPE are at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions that can erode their ability to work safely, a study of service personnel operating in COVID-19-like environments has shown.
At least 78 Victorian workers have been diagnosed with potentially deadly lung disease silicosis since the State Government banned certain high-risk work processes and launched a health screening program last year, figures released today show. Meanwhile, the former team manager of an A-League club has alleged he was bullied and injured in the role.
The Fair Work Commission has admonished a large employer's human resources department and recommended it improve its practices, after a worker's stop-bullying application demonstrated the difficulties workers face when HR isn't actively involved in matters like injury management.
A major review of studies covering more than 270,000 police personnel, including from Australia, has found police are at greater risk of poor mental health and risky drinking than previously thought, highlighting the importance of stigma-reduction strategies and continuous rather than reactive "psychoeducation".
A tribunal has rejected an employer's claim that it isn't liable for a worker's psych injury because its inaction on her bullying complaint was reasonable administrative action. The tribunal identified a string of flaws in the employer's response to the complaint.
An employer's "evident and intelligible justification" for performance managing a worker has sunk his claim that his team leader bullied him and harmed his health and wellbeing by undermining his achievements.
Employers can reduce work stressors by implementing tailor-made stress management action plans targeting specific demands and streamlining processes, according to European researchers who have outlined a five-step program.
The new National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan has marked workplaces as key "outreach sites" for tackling COVID-19-related mental health issues, and identified a wide range of worker groups significantly impacted by the pandemic. Meanwhile, employers have been directed to develop COVID-19 safety plans as pandemic restrictions ease.
A worker whose psychological injury became incapacitating after her employer refused to reclassify her sick leave has been given another chance to seek compensation, in a full Federal Court case examining the application of administrative action exclusions.
Mistrust from supervisors and IT hassles are common experiences among workers suffering psychological distress while working from home under COVID-19 restrictions, a survey of more than 1,100 Australian workers has found.
