Published on Jan 18, 2023
Recent or proposed changes to laws in various States require employers to identify and eliminate or reduce psychosocial risks in the workplace. Some ‘best practice’ tips can help them to proactively prevent or reduce the risk of mental health-related workers’ c...
Published on Jan 18, 2023
An expert in workplace bullying explores what the research tells us about workplace bullying and the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour, and what workplaces can do to prevent it. ...
Published on Jan 18, 2023
Employers may invest considerable time and money getting people with a musculoskeletal injury back to work. Ergonomics and redesign are the best way to address risk factors that can cause them and support safe return to work. ...
Published on Jan 18, 2023
There is a way to counter the harmful effects of prescribing opioids for chronic back pain. A new approach in which doctors and nurses at 4 NSW hospital emergency departments were trained to treat back pain with heat packs shows promising results. ...
Published on Jan 18, 2023
Pain scientists are starting to make exciting discoveries about what pain is and how it’s caused — like how the way you think about your pain can change the way it feels. An engaging 5-minute video explains this approach. ...
Published on Jan 13, 2023
Did you know you can access a full list of the training that Comcare offers by simply creating an account on the Comcare learning management system? You can find the training that’s relevant to your role and you can also search the training by topic. ...
Published on Jan 13, 2023
RTW Coordinators can experience vicarious trauma from exposure to workers who have experienced trauma or who share details of traumatic events. Vicarious trauma can cause burn out and affect your personal and work life. WorkSafe.qld.gov.au has strategies and resources to support...
Published on Jan 13, 2023
An expert in workplace bullying says instead of talking about workplace bullying, we should be focusing more on prevention and the behavioural early warning signs that indicate a risk of bullying. ...
Published on Jan 13, 2023
A Canadian study followed 1,100 workers over 18 months. It found that 70% continued to experience pain 18 months after their injury. The study highlights the importance of modified duties and return-to-work planning. ...
Published on Jan 13, 2023
The Pain Toolkit website provides information and resources to help people understand and cope with chronic pain and improve their quality of life. It includes self-assessment tools, educational materials and guided exercises ...
Published on Dec 09, 2022
Musculoskeletal Australia has created WorkWise, a resource for workers who live with musculoskeletal conditions. It has information to help manage symptoms at work, tips and strategies and resources to help you keep working and know your rights. ...
Published on Dec 09, 2022
Why are some conversations in the work injury space seen as ‘difficult’? Rhea Mercado, accredited exercise physiologist, author and blogger shares her thoughts about what she has learned along the way. ...
Published on Dec 09, 2022
Comcare has a new suite of animated videos and guidance for employees and employers. They explain the return to work process, show the health benefits of a safe, timely and sustainable return to work, roles and responsibilities and better ways to support employees to return to w...
Published on Dec 01, 2022
Did you know that a free national Help Line is available for people with musculoskeletal conditions and the health professionals who care for them. Nurses and trained volunteers can talk to you about your condition and dealing with pain, treatment options, self-management, how t...
Published on Dec 01, 2022
From 1 December, Comcare has changed its requirement for when workplaces must notify it of COVID-19 cases that arise in the course of their business. The change responds to the National Cabinet decision to remove COVID-19 isolation periods and the winding back or removal of rest...
Published on Nov 17, 2022
New research finds that the new legal requirement for employers to do ‘everything reasonably practical’ to deal with psychosocial risks is an opportunity to improve their organisations’ cultures of care. It shows that most workplaces are unaware of the silent h...
Published on Nov 17, 2022
October was national Safe Work Month. You can watch 3 webinars Comcare hosted on making safety at work your priority. Hear Professor Sharon Newnam from Queensland University of Technology on how we can review and maintain WHS management systems and the future of work. Georgie Ha...
Published on Nov 17, 2022
If you or someone you know lives with arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain or another musculoskeletal condition, you can download this free eBook called ‘Managing Your Pain: An A-Z Guide’ from Musculoskeletal Australia. It will give you new ideas to try and also help y...
Published on Nov 02, 2022
According to a recent study, workers’ compensation claimants appear to have higher rates of admission for self-harm than non-claimants. ...
Published on Nov 02, 2022
The Australian Centre for Value-Based Health Care has collated practical resources that can support your work in value-based health care. They include how to define value, create value in partnership with patients, measure outcomes and costs, provide integrated and patient-focus...
Published on Nov 02, 2022
The 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is one of the largest international conferences for work health and safety. It on in Sydney next year. If you have a work safety story, opportunity, case study or research that you’d like to present you have until 30 N...
Published on Oct 24, 2022
A 2018 review conducted by spine surgeon Dr Roy Carey reveals that more than 85% of health insurance claims for spinal fusion were inappropriately billed. The revelation coincides with 2 new studies that show just how little expensive spine surgery actually helps patients. ...
Published on Oct 18, 2022
The Bill responds to recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission Respect@Work 2020 report. Employers will need to show they took all reasonable steps to prevent sex discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile working environments. ...
Published on Oct 16, 2022
Telling injured workers to be positive can help them get through a challenging period. But it’s also important that they can feel and express their vulnerabilities and difficult emotions. A doctor with personal experience of the ups and downs of injury, pain and recovery o...
Published on Sep 22, 2022
Safe Work Australia’s report compares the different ways the schemes in Australia and New Zealand deal with coverage, benefits, return to work provisions, self-insurance, common law, dispute resolution, and cross-border arrangements. ...
Published on Sep 22, 2022
Musculoskeletal Australia held a free lecture on tips, strategies and resources to help people manage their musculoskeletal conditions at work. It also has information and advice about staying at work, changing jobs, understanding your rights, and more. If you missed it, you can...
Published on Sep 22, 2022
Comcare has drafted a new Guide to the Assessment of the Degree of Permanent Impairment. The guide is for assessing claims for permanent impairment and non-economic loss under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988. You can have input by making a submission by...
Published on Sep 19, 2022
We know bullying is prevalent in Australian workplaces. Research in recent years shows Australia ranked third worst in workplace bullying rates compared to 34 countries in Europe and two thirds of employees suffered from bullying at work. It causes harm to workers. But it can al...
Published on Sep 19, 2022
One in 3 people experience workplace sexual harassment. But only one third does anything about it. Chief Executive Women has launched a digital ‘toolkit’ of resources to stamp out poor behaviour in the workplace. ‘Respect is Everyone’s Business’ inc...
Published on Sep 19, 2022
Safe Work Australia has published a model code of practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work. The code is intended to help people conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) comply with their duty to manage psychosocial risks in the workplace, comply with their duties to ...
Published on Sep 08, 2022
Most workers say ‘dealing with others’ has become the biggest struggle when it comes to caring for their wellbeing at work. High-quality connection at work build our psychological and emotional resources. Find out what organisations can do to promote it. ...
Published on Sep 08, 2022
New clinical guidelines for treating lower back pain call for a focus on movement and addressing psychological barriers to recovery rather than inadequate and outdated remedied like painkillers and bed rest. (RTWMatters will cover the new Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard in ...
Published on Sep 08, 2022
Workers compensation benefits in these jurisdictions increased from 1 July 2022: Australian Capital Territory, Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. Benefits in the Northern Territory, South Australian and Tasmania changed on 1 January 2022....
Published on Aug 28, 2022
Psychological safety is important for workers’ wellbeing and workplace success. But bullying behaviours are ‘kryptonite’ to psychological safety. Research shows that around 10% of workers will experience bullying in a 6 month period, and 40% will have experienc...
Published on Aug 28, 2022
A clinical trial of a ‘sensorimotor retraining program’ for chronic back pain found that participants reported less pain and disability after treatment than those who didn't do the program. The intervention involves pain education to help people with a bad back under...
Published on Aug 11, 2022
Symptoms of Long Covid vary from person to person. But they can be severe enough to affect a person’s ability to work. The Job Accommodation Network in the United States had developed a guide called Supporting Employees with Long COVID: A Guide for Employers. This resource...
Published on Aug 11, 2022
Research has found that mind-body approaches such as relaxation, breathing or guided imagery can help improve many physical and mental health conditions. A site that has been developed for veterans is useful for anyone looking for resources about the role the power of the mind c...
Published on Aug 11, 2022
The Sex Discrimination Act and the Fair Work Act will both be amended in response to the recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report. Employers will have a positive duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, unions or other...
Published on Jul 29, 2022
Self-care can help manage our health and wellbeing, but it's not just the responsibility of the individual. It’s a partnership between health professionals, government, families, communities and organisations to support people to manage their health. For Self-Care day Musc...
Published on Jul 13, 2022
The Model Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act), regulations and related materials have been updated. One of the main changes is to define ‘psychosocial hazards’ and ‘psychosocial risk’, and a requirement to implement control measures to eliminate or minim...
Published on Jun 29, 2022
Navigating the unfamiliar workers’ compensation experience can lead to frustration, fear, disengagement and further harm to a worker’s mental health. An advocacy approach that takes care of people can improve recovery, return-to-work outcomes and prevent further harm...
Published on Jun 29, 2022
The McKinsey Health Institute’s global survey to assess some of the workplace factors contributing to burnout found that high rates of burnout are a sign that the employer organisation needs change, not just the individual employees. It suggests workplaces should use a hol...
Published on Jun 29, 2022
An Institute for Work & Health review finds that women and men in the same occupations face different injury and illness risks. ...
Published on Jun 29, 2022
As part of the National Return to Work Strategy 2020-2030 Safe Work Australia commissioned an independent report into how workers access and understand information about workers’ compensation and what their communication preferences are. Information was gathered from worke...
Published on Jun 28, 2022
A review that assessed the effectiveness of various safety interventions in preventing accidents at work found that those directed towards the group or organisational level rather than at the individual level were more effective. Occupational safety intervention efforts should f...
Published on Jun 28, 2022
Comcare training gives employers, managers and supervisors, workplace rehabilitation providers and case managers skills and knowledge they can apply in their workplace to promote a safe and healthy environment and work participation. ...
Published on Jun 19, 2022
Looking for opportunities to create positive experiences at work can counter the negativity the is common in workers compensation systems. Here are some ideas for how businesses can create positive cultures. ...
Published on Jun 19, 2022
Safe Work Australia has developed an online tool to help people working in the agriculture industry to understand and meet their duties under the model Work Health and Safety laws. ...
Published on Jun 03, 2022
The National Return to Work Survey results reveal the experiences of injured workers and what may influence their return to work outcomes. The results show that injured and unwell workers covered under the Comcare scheme are returning to work at high rates. ...
Published on Jun 03, 2022
In 2021 the Fair Work Commission’s anti-bullying powers were extended to workplace sexual harassment cases. In a recent decision the Commission refused to make orders because the worker had resigned and there was therefore no ongoing risk of sexual harassment. ...
Published on Jun 03, 2022
Evidence shows that many orthopaedic procedures are no more effective at relieving pain or improving function than placebo interventions, cognitive interventions or exercise. But hundreds of thousands of people undergo these unnecessary, costly and sometimes harmful procedures. ...
Published on May 09, 2022
The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) recently launched two important injury management policy papers. The It Pays To Care Values and Principles Paper and the Evidence-Informed pol...
Published on May 09, 2022
Michael Plowright, founder of Working Well Together, discusses how we can better manage and approach workplace bullying and shares the five core principles of trauma-informed practice that should form the starting point of developing a risk management framework that minimises ha...
Published on Apr 22, 2022
Comcare have developed a fact sheet for employers and workers that provides practical information on getting the balance right for successful flexible work arrangements. ...
Published on Apr 22, 2022
Hear from Australian's who experience anxiety, as well as experts as ABC News examines the risk factors and how to minimise the impact of anxiety on everyday life. ...
Published on Apr 11, 2022
A University of South Australia study seeks patients’ perspectives of low back pain treatment to understand how treatments influence beliefs and behaviours. The survey takes around 20 minutes and will help to improve future care for people experiencing back pain. ...
Published on Apr 11, 2022
Safe Work Australia’s National Return to Work Survey measures the outcomes of ill and injured workers receiving workers’ compensation. The summary report includes key metrics, insights and time series data. Workers were also asked about the impact of COVID-19 on thei...
Published on Mar 11, 2022
Michael Simpson, Managing Director of OccCorp shares his insights on Australian employers' concerns and how Safe Work Australia's recently published 23rd edition of Comparative Performance Monitoring report shows their concerns may be valid. ...
Published on Feb 28, 2022
A cutting edge treatment for chronic back pain yet to be proven effective has left some patients with serious complications, an investigation into the use of the devices that pump electric pulses into the spine of patients has found. Caitlin Jones, a researcher from the Universi...
Published on Feb 10, 2022
A Danish study has shown that people who are exposed to violence and threats at work are more likely to be depressed two years later, with depression measured by psychiatric diagnosis and new prescriptions to antidepressant medication. ...
Published on Feb 10, 2022
People with mental health problems have a greater risk of being bullied in the workplace than people without. However, a recent study has shown that this is not true in organisations with role clarity and an orderly approach to business. The researchers concluded that previous s...
Published on Feb 10, 2022
A review relevant studies and literature has shown that RTW interventions tend to be effective, with better results than standard care. However, the intervention does not have to be high intensity (or high cost) to be effective, and in fact RTW outcomes were similar between dive...
Published on Jan 17, 2022
Exoskeletons are a type of wearable technology that sits on the hand, lower back or shoulder of a worker, making objects seem lighter and therefore easier for the worker to lift. This has been shown to reduce musculoskeletal injury. However, researchers have now shown that incre...
Published on Dec 22, 2021
Reduced productivity may be directly linked to insomnia, suggests a new study. Researchers studying both physical inactivity and sleeplessness among workers found that lack of sleep, in particular, was associated with presenteeism. Workplace interventions focused on better sleep...
Published on Dec 08, 2021
More than 4,500 workers participated in the 2021 National Return To Work (NRTW) Survey, the fifth conducted since 2012. The average Returned to Work Rate (i.e. workers who've returned to work at any time since their injury) for Australia in 2021 was 91.6%, with Comcare, the Nort...
Published on Dec 06, 2021
Racing NSW is in the news because of aggressive investigations of workers' compensation claims, including covert surveillance. Our main takeaway from the ABC's coverage is the anger, humiliation and disrespect injured workers feel when under surveillance. Protecting the integrit...
Published on Nov 29, 2021
There were 120,355 "serious" workers compensation claims in Australia in 2019-20, which is what Safe Work Australia calls claims that result in at least one week's absence from work. Labourers had the highest frequency of claims, followed by community and personal services worke...
Published on Nov 29, 2021
Health and wellbeing programs can have positive side effects, improving social relationships at work and reduce bullying, according to a new study. Conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia, working with insurance and investments company Vitality, the study fou...
Published on Nov 04, 2021
Sleep disturbances are common among people with workers' compensation claims, and those who report emotional disturbance are particularly like to find it hard to get enough shut-eye. We know there's a reciprocal relationship between sleep and mental health: getting enough sleep ...
Published on Nov 02, 2021
Whether you're returning to work after a long period of working from home; feeling burnt-out and unmotivated; struggling to contain your irritation with a particularly annoying colleague; or just wanting to feel calmer and more content, mindfulness practices can help. Follow the...
Published on Nov 02, 2021
According to research from the think tank Committee For Sydney, 51% of bosses expect their workers will commute to the office for just three days a week post-pandemic shutdowns, and 36 percent expect their staff will cluster their office days from Tuesday to Thursday. Some big b...
Published on Nov 02, 2021
A report by PwC and wellbeing company Sonder estimates the productivity cost of the COVID-19 pandemic will exceed $20 billion a year due to projected increases in psychological distress, hospitalisations and suicide. The report also found that while 80% of top 500 companies have...
Published on Oct 14, 2021
We don't mean to brag (nah, ok, we totally do), but one of our contributing authors this week, the wonderful Sharon Stratford, just took out the top gong for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual or Team at the Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF) awards for excel...
Published on Oct 14, 2021
While providing workers with resources to maintain their own mental health is important, Dr Laura Kirby, chief mental health officer at Commonwealth Bank, says a "systems approach" to mental health is required if organisations want to play an active role in helping workers stay ...
Published on Oct 05, 2021
The key to increasing productivity and work life balance is to foster psychological detachment and social support among employees, according to new research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Psychological detachment refers to the feeling of bei...
Published on Sep 16, 2021
Increasingly, organisations have legislative obligations to protect the psychological health of workers in the same way they protect their physical safety. Resources are available to help meet these obligations including People at Work, a joint venture of Safe Work Australia and...
Published on Sep 08, 2021
When we think of bullies we tend to think of people who are obvious in their interpersonal aggressions. Think the loathsome Biff from Back to the Future. But workplace bullying is hard to prevent precisely because it can be so subtle. Condescending remarks, doubting a person's j...
Published on Sep 06, 2021
A dental entrepreneur from Sydney, went to New York during the Covid-19 pandemic to oversee the setup of an American facility. Just over a week later, he was taken to hospital by ambulance and died several months later. Now, his family has been awarded workers' compensation for ...
Published on Aug 23, 2021
A government employee who ruptured a ligament in her right knee whilst playing netball has been successful in a workers' compensation claim, despite an initial rejection from Comcare. The tribunal found that, since the Department encouraged the woman to attend the community even...
Published on Aug 23, 2021
In this video from the JAMA Network, two US experts answer common questions about the Covid-19 vaccines. Questions include, "Vaccines have only been available since December 2020, so how do I know they're safe long-term?"; "What is the Delta variant? And should I be worried?"; a...
Published on Aug 09, 2021
People-pleasing personality types, writes Jemma Barnard, are less likely than others to raise concerns about workload, bullying, levels of support and inadequate training at work, meaning that they may also be more prone to work-related stress and psychiatric injury. She advises...
Published on Jul 30, 2021
Low value health care can be ineffective, harmful, or simply confer "marginal benefit at disproportionately high cost”. According to recent research in published in the Medical Journal of Australia, patients (not health experts) may be best placed to combat overtreatment, ...
Published on Jul 30, 2021
Safe Work Australia has released a grant opportunity to fund high-quality research projects into interventions that answer questions like...What strategies work best to manage psychological risks in the workplace? Are current approaches to managing psychosocial hazards effective...
Published on Jul 26, 2021
With Sydney and Melbourne facing extended lockdowns, technology billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has urged Australian employers to watch rising mental health risks amongst workers. The Altassian founder (whose business facilitates remote work) is concerned about the increasingly ...
Published on Jul 16, 2021
Don't tell your employer about your mental health issue, is the advice from Lucy Brogden, chair of the National Mental Health Commission - advice she herself describes as disappointing. "“It really points to the low level of understanding of what mental health issues are a...
Published on Jul 07, 2021
Safe Work Australia (SWA) want to do a better job of collecting and publishing data on workers' compensation, return to work, time lost to injury and so on. You have until the 19th of July to provide your feedback via a two minute survey, so now is the time to congratulate SWA o...
Published on Jul 07, 2021
In four new videos produced by Safe Work Australia, leading researchers in the prevention of workplace musculoskeletal injuries explain what needs to be done to combat the huge burden caused by musculoskeletal disorders in Australia. There is also discussion of how "systems thin...
Published on Jun 23, 2021
Leaders need moral imagination, according to this insightful article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Matt Beard, the author, defines moral imagination as the ability to attend to the needs, interests and experiences of people different from the leader. He also calls for curiosity,...
Published on Jun 14, 2021
The ACTU is calling on the Federal Government to ban high silica content engineered stone products and promote the use of safer alternatives, claiming that one in five engineered stone workers are affected by silicosis. Silicosis is a very serious, sometimes fatal condition that...
Published on Jun 02, 2021
If you're a case manager or Return to Work Coordinator looking for a resource to share with people with back pain, look no further: this short article from The Guardian is a winner. Regular readers of this website will recognise all the messages (back pain is unlikely to have a ...
Published on May 31, 2021
More confirmation that diagnostic imaging of the spine should NOT be routine. Researchers behind a new study from the UK followed more than 400 women over 15 years and found no link between changes to the spine seen in radiographic scans and the experience of back pain. ...
Published on May 24, 2021
This article focuses on endometriosis, an "invisible" condition that causes chronic pain in some women. However, most of the information is generalisable to other chronic pain conditions and could be helpful for workers deciding whether to talk to their employer about their chro...
Published on May 17, 2021
...and other brief bouts of exercise in the middle of the day! According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "A 2020 paper estimated that doing 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week (the 2020 WHO guidelines recommend 150-300 minutes a week), would lead t...
Published on May 10, 2021
Two out of every three Australians who had severe Covid-19 are now facing long-haul symptoms including mild shortness of breath and weakness, with a small number having a persistent cough, headache, or loss of taste and smell, according to a study being conducted across 30 diffe...
Published on May 03, 2021
There's a positive to the bad RTW / workers' compensation news that has come out of NSW and Victoria in recent years: it's focused national attention on the costs and consequences of poorly managed RTW and sub-par compensation systems. In a just-aired episode of Insight on SBS, ...
Published on May 03, 2021
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that one review "by former judge Robert McDougall, QC, found icare’s own failures led to “manifold unhappy consequences,” including a poor claims management scheme, plummeting return to work rates and increased costs. He said i...
Published on Apr 19, 2021
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia has found that covert surveillance footage can not show a worker's state of mind, ruling against an employer's claim that a worker was deceptive about experiencing anxiety after being held at gunpoint whilst working as a security ...
Published on Apr 13, 2021
Last week, we reported that Victorian police had won the right to disconnect - that is, be free from the expectation that they will routinely respond to work phone calls or emails outside their normal working hours. However, some employer groups warn that the right to disconnect...
Published on Apr 09, 2021
We're all familiar with the concept of physical fatigue, but WorkSafe Victoria wants to raise awareness of two additional types of fatigue: mental fatigue ("I've been using my brain too much and now I can't make decisions!") and emotional fatigue ("I've given you everything I ca...
Published on Apr 06, 2021
The French have already given us so much! Champagne, croissants, the etch-a-sketch, stethoscopes, Braille, hairdryers, pasteurised milk, pencil sharpeners - and now the right to disconnect from digital work. First legislated in France, the right to slip the digital leash has now...
Published on Mar 30, 2021
For people with non-specific low back pain (LBP), osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT) is unlikely to provide clinically meaningful benefits, according to new research published by JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers compared OMT to a similar, sham treatment: while real ...
Published on Mar 30, 2021
Sexual harassment at work is common and toxic, experienced by two in five women and one in four men. Employers who don't actively and effectively manage the risk can be held vicariously liable for the actions of individual workers and may also pay high indirect costs via workers...
Published on Mar 17, 2021
Musculoskeletal Australia has released the results of its 2020 National Consumer Survey, in a report entitled Making the Invisible Visible. The survey was devised and completed by people with MSDs, so it provides a unique insight into the experiences of this group. Rob Anderson,...
Published on Mar 08, 2021
If you've consumed any national news over the last few weeks, you've likely been thinking about sexual harassment at work. We all know it doesn't only happen in Canberra and most women would say that it's actually reasonably common - a fact borne out by a 2018 survey from the Au...
Published on Mar 04, 2021
Exposure to vibration is one of the top health risks at mining sites, injuring workers and making a significant contribution to workers' compensation costs. Adverse health outcomes include white finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders and neurological disorders...
Published on Feb 25, 2021
A new one pager from Safe Work Australia (SWA) encourages employers with indoor workplaces to ensure heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are well-maintained and operating properly as part of the fight against COVID-19 transmission. For more information on re...
Published on Feb 22, 2021
The experts have spoken: working from bed is not a thing. Which isn't to say people aren't doing it, just that they shouldn't! According to a study of 1000 American conducted in November last year, nearly three quarters had worked from their bed at some point during the pandemic...
Published on Feb 09, 2021
Disconnecting from the bullies, checking the internal criticisms, being aware of things that may trigger the bad old feelings and finding support to help yourself thrive again all make the grade in Grace Jennings-Edquist's guide to recovering from workplace bullying. ...
Published on Feb 05, 2021
Another year, another round of accusations of bad behaviour in workers' compensation. In this case, it's the federal scheme Comcare that's facing scrutiny, with allegations of doctor-shopping and bullying in independent medical examinations (IME). There are also claims from lawy...
Published on Feb 03, 2021
Safe Work Australia has released a suite of new practical guides to help employers prevent sexual harassment, violence, aggression and domestic violence at work. Directly and indirectly, workplace experiences such as being subject to harassment or violence (physical or emotional...
Published on Jan 27, 2021
Sometimes, according to this excellent and practical article from the Job Accommodation Network in the US. If a worker presents with a medical certificate saying they need time away from the phones due to anxiety, stress or some other condition, the employer should ask questions...
Published on Jan 27, 2021
Health care has a "work till you drop" mentality and it hurts workers, employers and patients, says Kathy Espinoza, assistant vice president of ergonomics and safety at Keenan and Associates. She argues that overtime has a negative impact on occupational injury rates, illness an...
Published on Jan 12, 2021
Exercise snacks, working while on the run, and taking an active, outdoor lunch break are three great tips for staying active in the home office, from Julie Broderick via The Conversation. And here's a hot tip from the pro-work-from-homer collating these news items: the kids' tra...
Published on Jan 12, 2021
Around 40% of GP consultations in Victoria between January and September 2020 were via telehealth, and in NSW during the same period, 30% of weekly GP consultations were conducted over the phone. GPs expect telehealth to stick around post-pandemic, as it is convenient for both t...
Published on Dec 15, 2020
A Health and Community Services Union survey of almost 400 Victorian mental health workers notes high levels of exhaustion, fatigue, and anxiety within the sector. With the Victorian healthcare system under pressure, healthcare workers say they face increased stress, exces...
Published on Dec 15, 2020
Misbehaving customers and insecure employment are the biggest stressors on retail worker mental health, according to the report Indicators of a Thriving Workplace Report, Spotlight on the Retail Industry 2020. The report highlights an urgent need to deal with these issues, as tw...
Published on Nov 25, 2020
The Productivity Commission report on mental health estimates that 2.8 million working Australians have mental illness, taking an average of 10 to 12 days off per year due to psychological distress. Now, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has joined forces with insurer Emplo...
Published on Nov 09, 2020
Comcare has released a new guide for employers and managers with practical introductory tools, resources and strategies on how to identify and manage psychosocial safety risks. There's information on important topics such as good work, legislative requirements and promoting heal...
Published on Nov 02, 2020
Lawyer Angela Brooks has a sage word of advice for insurers and employers: provide proactive support for injured workers who may have a vulnerability to mental ill-health, including those who have made a claim for a physical injury. Mental health problems are expected to rise ac...
Published on Oct 20, 2020
What do Bunnings and Microsoft have in common? We're sure there are many answers to this question, some hilarious, but the relevant answer here is: they're both part of a new alliance of Australian business leaders who want to tackle mental health at work, known as the Corporate...
Published on Oct 20, 2020
This is a really great look at the power of routines, from Lisa Leong of This Working Life on Radio National. It touches on everything from meditation to priority-setting, the 5am club and creating boundaries that help insulate you and your family from an "always on" work cultur...
Published on Oct 20, 2020
"Motion is lotion," says A. Lynn Millar, a physical therapist and fellow emeritus at the American College of Sports Medicine. However, people who experience joint pain often feel that they should avoid exercise, perceiving that they are doing more damage to an already sore area....
Published on Sep 07, 2020
Injured while driving a truck on a mine site, Duncan Rush went through months of recovery and difficult physio before realising he could never return to his job. A decade later, ongoing pain from nerve damage still disturbs his sleep, but he's found a new trade and a new passion...
Published on Sep 07, 2020
This is a challenging time for many people, healthcare workers especially. In this article, psychiatrist Dr Frank Chow lists some of the warning signs that a worker may be struggling with their mental health (e.g. problems relating to performance and out-of-character irritabilit...
Published on Sep 07, 2020
Pets in the workplace may remind "employees to pause, take a break through short walks and a little playtime providing small distractions to allow mental breaks and reduce stress. Some studies have shown that not only do pets have calming effects but can also induce more cordial...
Published on Aug 24, 2020
Here's a depressing reason for a millennial to like working from home: at least now when her toxic boss berates her in front of colleagues she can now get an actual hug from her mum rather than sneaking off to the bathroom for a teary phone call. Amidst the angst, this article f...
Published on Aug 11, 2020
We talk a lot about employee mental health, but what about the mental health of business owners - specifically, small business owners, who find tax time really stressful? “So far, the idea that tax and mental health can be connected has been an unfamiliar one, but ours wil...
Published on Jul 28, 2020
We'll file this in the "are you for real??!" basket: Business News Australia reports that meat processor JBS Australia has asked COVID-positive staff to return to work, and conducted on-site testing in unsafe conditions, according to reports from the United Workers Union. (JBS d...
Published on Jul 28, 2020
SIRA has referred icare to the NSW anti-corruption authority, as questions about the scheme's financial viability and underpayment of workers become more pressing, according to a joint investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC TV's Four Corners. Meanwhile, the ...
Published on Jun 30, 2020
A few years ago, VicHealth surveyed 755 Aboriginal Victorians, some living in the city, some in rural areas. 97% had experienced racism in the last year. 44% said they experienced racism once a week. 42% said they'd confronted racism at work. Racism causes psychological distress...
Published on Jun 30, 2020
The language the linked article uses ain't pretty (full disclosure: it's written in legalese) but the question it raises is fascinating: namely, is compensation owed to a worker when a work injury (in this case, PTSD) later transforms an existing genetic predisposition (in this ...
Published on Jun 18, 2020
As many of us head back to the office for the first time in months, our friends at Superfriend have put together a tip sheet to help employers manage the transition. We love the way they acknowledge the emotions of post-pandemic RTW: "It is important that employers and people...
Published on Jun 18, 2020
A: "The longer you are on high doses of the medications, for at least three quarters of people on long-term opioids, it's actually making their pain worse," pain management expert Associate Professor Michael Vagg recently told the ABC. Click through for an excellent article that...
Published on Jun 16, 2020
Pandemics put retail staff on the frontline, directly in contact with the sneezing, wheezing, germ-ridden general public, so it makes sense retail workers might need some extra mental health support in these trying times. Retail organisations could do worse than follow the lead ...
Published on Jun 16, 2020
Shift workers on night shifts are approximately 25–30 per cent more at risk of injury than those working day shifts, and working a 12-hour rather than an eight-hour shift increases the risk of injury, again by 25–30 per cent with risk increasing evenly over four cons...
Published on Jun 01, 2020
WorkCover is seeking to recover more than $303,000 in workers' compensation payments, plus indemnities against related future costs, claiming that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) failed to stop the long-running misconduct of a known bully. The alleged bullying tactics includ...
Published on May 22, 2020
A "supportive work culture is like giving everyone in the organisation a mental health inoculation," says Julia Gillard, in her foreword to Answering the Call, Beyond Blue's national survey on the mental health and wellbeing of frontline workers. The report, which focuses on Aus...
Published on May 18, 2020
A 30% spike in mental illness; a 25% spike in the suicide rate: these are some of the dire predictions mental health experts are making about the pandemic aftermath. They're urging the government to take action now to improve Australia's "dysfunctional" public mental health syst...
Published on May 18, 2020
Physical distancing is often impossible in manufacturing and construction workplaces. Now, blue collar workers in the UK are saying they're being pressured to return to work, putting them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. ...
Published on May 18, 2020
Research conducted at the Australian National University has shown that 60% of healthcare workers go to work when they have the flu - and ALL (99%) go to work if the flu symptoms seem minor (e.g. a sore throat and mild cough). The RACGP wants health workers (and the rest of us) ...
Published on May 04, 2020
A Victorian train driver has struggled to secure compensation for work-related injuries to her chest and breast that she says developed due to riding a rough line. She says other female drivers suffer the same painful symptoms she did, but are too embarrassed to speak out in the...
Published on May 04, 2020
Really specific! The SWA website now allows you to drill down by industry, business size and topic (e.g. workers' compensation). They've promised to update the website regularly, with new guidance and information as the situation evolves. ...
Published on May 04, 2020
You know, the ones where you go, "They disputed whaaaaat?" In 2018 a child protection worker was trapped in a bathroom for two hours awaiting police assistance, whilst teenagers threatened to kill her and the child she was protecting. Afterwards, the Department of Child Protecti...
Published on Apr 21, 2020
...
Published on Apr 21, 2020
Close to 200 Australians have lodged workers' compensation claims or notifications related to COVID-19, with NSW accounting for the vast majority. Dr Stacey Jenkins of the school of management and marketing at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga said “Workers&rsq...
Published on Apr 21, 2020
Exercise, eat healthfully, engage with colleagues and don't forget about the EAP (employee assistance program) are the four Es of workplace wellness, according to John Hilton in Human Resources Director. ...
Published on Apr 15, 2020
With many people temporarily working from home due to COVID-19, some organisations will see a mass RTW when the need for social distancing ends. But the "old normal" is unlikely to return, and employers should start planning the necessary changes now. "Different layouts; stagger...
Published on Mar 31, 2020
Safe Work Australia have made a clear call: they want employers to let people work from home if possible. If that's not possible, they've assembled other resources including template signs, an infographic on what to do if there is a suspected case of coronavirus at work, as well...
Published on Mar 24, 2020
For many small businesses, profit margins are slim at the best of times and the business has no chance of coping with a sharp, unexpected drop in revenue that could last months or longer. In the Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Featherstone is urging us to start thinking now about th...
Published on Mar 17, 2020
Employers have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring a safe work environment, wherever that work is carried out. ...
Published on Mar 17, 2020
Sing happy birthday twice, TWICE!, whilst comprehensively covering every inch of skin on your hands with soap. And don't touch the tap! ...
Published on Mar 09, 2020
Women make twice as many workers' compensation claims for harassment, bullying and workplace violence as do men, and rates have been trending upwards for the last five years, according to new data from Safe Work Australia. Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant se...
Published on Mar 09, 2020
Probably not, according to lawyers from Cooper Grace Ward...unless I drive a minibus full of infected tourists to and from the airport, or (less likely) I attended a non-negotiable work meeting in a contagion hot-spot. In fact: "Given the low numbers of infections and, just a...
Published on Mar 09, 2020
Women working full-time trail their male colleagues on two-thirds of the indicators that contribute to a thriving workplace, according to SuperFriend's Indicators of a Thriving Workplace report. The Australian Financial Review says, "Major wellbeing issues faced by women rela...
Published on Feb 24, 2020
Pink hair, sexual harassment scapegoating and shoulder pain were all in the mix when the Fair Work Commission ruled in a favour of an unfairly dismissed service station worker in February, ordering her employer to pay more than three months workers' compensation (minus a month f...
Published on Feb 11, 2020
Firies aren't the only workers who may see a jump in workers' comp claims following our horror fire season, according to Kate Ralph - pharmacists, charity workers and/or wildlife rescue personnel may have suffered work injury too. ...
Published on Feb 11, 2020
Formal workplace flexibility arrangements boost parents’ wellbeing and help them manage both work and family life but informal flexiblity (e.g. taking personal calls at work, rearranging meetings or leaving early but catching up at home) are associated with more distress, ...
Published on Jan 28, 2020
Australian research supported by Beyond Blue has shown that junior doctors who work more than 55 hours per week have double the risk of common mental health problems and suicidal ideation. Based on data from 2013, around a quarter of junior doctors fall into this category. ...
Published on Jan 28, 2020
The banking Royal Commission showed us all that culture drives behaviour. In this podcast, ASIC's cultural risk expert Elizabeth Arzadon digs deep into the way leaders can measure and change organisational culture for the better, beginning with the question, "What kind of cultur...
Published on Jan 13, 2020
RTW people are people-people, and we know a lot of our readers will be looking for a way to help the many Australians - not to mention animals and ecosystems - impacted by this terrible fire season. The Guardian has some good advice, in tl;dr form: do your homework, give cash an...
Published on Jan 13, 2020
Pedestrian TV shares their best blues-beating tips for January, including getting healthy, practicing gratitude, taking breaks and scheduling like a boss. ...
Published on Jan 13, 2020
Questionable claims models and inadequate oversight of workers' compensation systems in NSW and Victoria are drawing national attention. Investigative journalist Adele Ferguson says that workers' compensation schemes may have dodged the "royal commission blowtorch," but "serious...
Published on Dec 11, 2019
Move over Google! Workplace wellness is no longer the domain of tech companies: the giants of industry are muscling in too. From plants to airconditioning to green outdoor spaces, workers in industrial spaces will likely be the next beneficiaries of the wellness revolution. But ...
Published on Dec 11, 2019
Many injured people develop a mental health problem (e.g. depression or anxiety) on top of the original injury. In fact, a recent report from Deloitte "showed that insurance claims for secondary conditions such as depression or anxiety were rising at a faster rate than primary c...
Published on Dec 11, 2019
Researchers say there's a link between work-related stress and antidepressant medication use, which costs Australia around $212 million per year. Global expert on work health and professor at UniSA, Maureen Dollard, wants us to know that it's not all about work pressure and...
Published on Dec 03, 2019
Whether you suffer from depression yourself, or simply support others who do, this article written by Jennifer Wong and published on ABC Life is enlightening. Wong writes about the non-linear road to recovery, the need for social support and simple pleasures, and also shares too...
Published on Nov 19, 2019
If you find yourself up against the staid and hidebound at work, organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber might be able to help. You can mine her wisdom online, as she speaks to Lisa Leong on the always excellent This Working Life (Radio National). ...
Published on Oct 30, 2019
What we want to know is, what are they going to do about it? The ABC has detailed some of the problems faced by federal police officers who develop PTSD as a result of repeated exposure to stress and trauma whilst serving Australian interests overseas, only to be further stresse...
Published on Oct 29, 2019
“After my episode aired I wanted to kill myself and I started drinking more alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate my injury,” Nicole Prince told the New South Wales Compensation Commission, describing her experiences on reality TV show House Rules. Prince presented ...
Published on Oct 22, 2019
The Workplace Employment Lawyers have launched a blog series on the legal ins and outs of workplace injury and illness. First up, they tackle independent medical examinations (IMEs), providing information on when and how employers can direct workers to have an IME. As yet, they ...
Published on Oct 08, 2019
Five years ago, architect Kerwin Datu was diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder after what he describes as "a period of profound social isolation conducting fieldwork in West Africa". Now he has a message for employers and coworkers: people with severe mental illnesses can and ...
Published on Oct 08, 2019
It's a dismal stat: over the last three years, Comcare has rejected three out of every four claims for psychological injury, but only one in ten physical injury claims. According to an unidentified Comcare spokesman, "Determinations for psychological injury claims are invariably...
Published on Sep 24, 2019
No, no, we're not advising you to go back and re-watch Portlandia. But we do think you might be interested in a little study from the University of South Australia, which found that nature-based art in the workplace can reduce stress and mental fatigue. The study was conducte...
Published on Sep 10, 2019
Are you an insurance professional with a bright idea about workers' compensation (or any other aspect of your field)? Do you want the opportunity to pitch your idea to a panel of people who could help you put it into practice - as well as taking home prize money and accessing me...
Published on Sep 10, 2019
Here's the best idea we've heard since our last overseas jaunt: instead of thinking about retirement as something that happens at the end of your working life, consider taking a series of "mini-retirements": opportunities to "dial down external pressures while focusing on ...
Published on Aug 27, 2019
RaeLea Foley was bucked off her horse while working on a cattle station and suffered a brain injury. Although she was back on the job after five weeks, she can no longer do everything she used to, and coming to terms with these limitations has been a struggle. Ms Foley ...
Published on Jul 24, 2019
We were delighted to read about the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, a free and confidential phone service for performing artists recently launched in Victoria. Many in the industry do not have access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), either because they are independent th...
Published on Jul 24, 2019
Looking after their bodies isn't necessarily a high priority for young workers in physically demanding industries, but this lack of care may well come back to bite them as they age. Physiotherapist David Hall told the ABC that young tradespeople and labourers can feel p...
Published on Nov 19, 2019
Psychologist Dr Marny Lishman says reducing stress is the best way to recover from work-related burnout--the only kind of burnout, according to recent advice from the World Health Organisation. Her tips include exercise, socialising, getting out into nature, and seeing a ps...
Published on Jul 24, 2019
You probably don't need another reminder of the grim reality, but here it comes anyway: Australia has a very poor track record when it comes to managing work-related mental ill-health. Now, there's a glimmer of light on the horizon, in the form of new clinical practice guideline...
Published on Jul 24, 2019
According to the website Preventing Overdiagnosis, "Overdiagnosis happens when people get a diagnosis they don’t need. It can happen when people without symptoms are diagnosed and then treated for a disease that won’t actually cause them any symptoms, and it can happ...
Published on Jul 15, 2019
Earlier this month Collingwood Magpies star Dayne Beams announced he was taking an indefinite break from AFL to deal with his mental health. In the past he's spoken openly about his struggles after the death of his father, as well his distress as a target of online trolling. ...
Published on Jul 15, 2019
An Australian man who had seven operations to his hips and back after falling out of a boom lift at work five years ago is now competing in international cycling races. Before his injury Daniel Pomering wasn't a cyclist, but decided to follow in his wife's footstep...
Published on Jul 15, 2019
The Clinical Framework for the Delivery of Health Services was published by the Victorian Transport Accident Commission and Worksafe Victoria in 2012, and subsequently endorsed by Comcare. (We've covered it here and here.) Basically, it encourages evidence-based treat...
Published on Jun 26, 2019
Australian paramedics experience Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at around twice the rate of other health professionals. A new review from researchers at Flinders University, commissioned by the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) has found that: “Paramedics rep...
Published on Jun 26, 2019
The Heads of Workers Compensation Authorities (HWCA) invite you to participate in the consultation on the DRAFT Principles for Practice for Workplace Rehabilitation Providers, developed to support Workplace Rehabilitation Providers deliver services to individuals with a compensa...
Published on May 27, 2019
People who claim workers' compensation in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the Commonwealth may be entitled to a lump sum for future loss of earnings, but they can't claim a lump sum for future medical needs. For those with catastrophic injuries and permanent impairment, this ...
Published on May 20, 2019
Do you work with GPs who would benefit from learning more about occupational cancer? The Cancer Council has developed an e-learning module to increase GP’s awareness of workplace carcinogens and cancers. The module includes sections on occupational carcinogens in the Au...
Published on May 20, 2019
Sarah Guthleben from Equip Super, workplace health expert Niki Ellis and mental health campaigner Mitch Wallis will join the board of workplace wellbeing advocate Superfriend, bringing the board close to an equal gender split. Superfriend CEO Margo Lydon told Investment Magaz...
Published on May 06, 2019
Australian health and wellbeing technology company WorkScore has released new research claiming that almost 40% of 8,800 workers surveyed report losing sleep because of work stress. According to the research, workers who sleep less than 6 hours a night work more, have higher ...
Published on May 03, 2019
Many organisations respond to workplace injury by pushing compliance with new or existing rules and procedures - however safety often hinges on proactive responses to challenging situations. “Our research showed that employees who were compliant with the safety rules in...
Published on Apr 17, 2019
Melbourne-based digital agency Versa abolished Wednesdays 12 months ago, splitting the 37.5-hour working week into two two-day blocks. Managing director Jonny Clow was initially a sceptic. "To lose a whole day — 20 per cent of revenues — you know it...
Published on Apr 16, 2019
RTW professionals and employer representatives are sometimes frustrated by the doctor-patient bond, especially when there are questions about the legitimacy or work-relatedness of an injury. Should doctors simply believe injured workers' reports, or is a more skeptical attitude ...
Published on Apr 16, 2019
Working in a pharmacy it's almost inevitable: you're going to have to deal with an agro customer at some point. So it makes sense that pharmacists would be particularly interested in creating mentally healthy workplaces. The Australian Journal of Pharmacy E-Mag has published a f...
Published on Apr 16, 2019
Warning: this is a story about violent crime in the workplace, so please don't read it if you think it might disturb you... Dr Andrew Taylor was shot at work, by a gunman intent on revenge. The offence? A medical report that he believed underplayed his workplace injuries, result...
Published on Apr 05, 2019
Aaron Goonrey and Jenni Mandel of Lander and Rogers law firm strongly believe that older workers should be nurtured - not stigmatised. Stereotypes limit everyone. If you're wedded to the idea that older workers are set in their ways and on their way out the door anyway, you'r...
Published on Mar 22, 2019
When you think about musical therapy in a hospital, most likely you think of it as something offered to the patients: the fabulous Hush program comes to mind. The Sunshine Coast University Hospital has taken a different approach, installing a grand piano in the main foyer so ...
Published on Mar 19, 2019
We're saddened to report that Anthony White, the Queensland stonemason who helped raise the alarm about the dangers of silica dust, has passed away from silicosis aged just 36. Mr White's brother, Shane Parata, also has the disease. In the wake of his brother's death, he's ...
Published on Mar 10, 2019
Ex-BHP workers with black lung disease (pneumoconiosis, a potentially fatal disease caused by prolonged exposure to coal dust with no known cure) have proposed a one cent per tonne, per week levy on coal produced to create a fund for sick workers and their families once workers'...
Published on Mar 10, 2019
In a world first, a woman who developed PTSD working as a crime reporter for The Age has been awarded $180,000 in damages by the Victorian County Court, which deemed her workplace to have been unsafe. Although not strictly speaking a workers' compensation case, we're bringing it...
Published on Feb 11, 2019
You've probably heard about the Maccas worker who toppled from the roof after smoking a cigarette up there prior to the start of the night shift. Many people raised their eyebrows when the Industrial Court of Queensland ruled she was eligible for workers' compensation for the br...
Published on Jan 15, 2019
We've all said it: "I don't have time to exercise." But what if you could give yourself all the benefits of an hour-long workout (increased fitness, better mood) in just ten minutes. (Full disclosure: you'll also have to find time for a warm up and a shower or two.) Profes...
Published on Jan 15, 2019
Following on from a recent report that found that FIFO workers are more likely than workers to experience high levels of psychological distress, a West Australian state MP is calling on the resource industry to do more in terms of rostering for good mental health. Labor Membe...
Published on Dec 19, 2018
Pregablin, a nerve pain drug often sold under the brand name Lyrica, is frequently prescribed for back pain. Initially marketed as a non-addictive alternative to opioids, it's becoming increasingly clear that the drug is both addictive and dangerous. Side effects include depress...
Published on Dec 13, 2018
"I question why should we as a community accept an industry inflicting higher than normal psychological distress and mental harm on its employees," said Peter Miller, whose son Rhys Conner took his own life in a FIFO accommodation camp on July 25, 2013. "We don't accept as a ...
Published on Nov 29, 2018
Pregabalin (sold as Lyrica) is a drug commonly prescribed for patients on workers' compensation. Its intended use is as an anti-epileptic and a painkiller for nerve pain. According to new research, "ambulance call-outs associated with the misuse of pregabalin hav...
Published on Nov 29, 2018
In this video link, co-founder and non-executive director of RUOK, Graeme Cowan, spells out his acronym of support for friends and colleagues who tell you they're not doing well. Graeme uses the acronym I CARE: Identify Compassion Access appropriate support...
Published on Nov 29, 2018
"At its most basic level, regulation is used to control risks that lead to societal problems," writes Dariel de Sousa, on legal blog Lexology. So what does it take to be an effective regulator in workers compensation? The short answer: focusing on desired outcomes (e.g. ti...
Published on Nov 19, 2018
Jessicah Mendes is an ABC journalist and private investigator who spent a year working for the insurance industry, mostly on cases involving people with income protection or disability claims relating to a mental health condition. Reflecting on her experience...
Published on Nov 09, 2018
"Australians are increasingly using prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to ease emotional, rather than physical, pain," writes criminologist Kev Dertadian on The Conversation. "Our cultural understanding of pain is changing, and as a result it’s becoming ...
Published on Nov 06, 2018
We highly, highly recommend you follow the link and read this fantastic opinion piece by Zoë Wundenberg, who, personally and professionally, knows all the benefits the Invictus Games bring returned Defence Force members: not just recovery and rehabilitation but also...
Published on Oct 23, 2018
A national plan to reduce medical overdiagnosis, and reduce the harm it can cause patients is underway by the Wiser Health research collaboration. “We know harm can come from overdiagnosis,” says Chief Medical Officer, Professor Murphy, “from cau...
Published on Oct 23, 2018
Alarming levels of accelerated Silicosis found in stonemasons who work with engineered stone, a popular kitchen benchtop material. With an expected 300 cases by December in Queensland alone, Brisbane-based senior occupational physician Dr Graeme Edwards says Austra...
Published on Oct 23, 2018
While acceptance of the need for mental health days has increased, 55% of workers surveyed still believe that taking leave may lead to negative repercussions. Concerned with what the research shows, psychologist Sabina Read said “Workers may feel taking...
Published on Oct 09, 2018
Mental health at work will be a key focus of a Productivity Commission investigation, the Federal Government has announced. "It's focusing on the causes and the prevalence of mental health, the ability to recognise it, and help provide treatment, support,...
Published on Oct 05, 2018
“Burnout is becoming more prevalent as time goes on and it has a lot to do with the intensity of our work environments as people need to perform at such a high level in order to succeed,” Dr Michael Leiter, world renowned expert on the psychology of work, tol...
Published on Sep 25, 2018
There's a "hidden workforce" of carers in Australia: around 2.7 billion Australians provide $60 billion worth of care each year, $13 billion of which is in the form of caring for someone with a mental health issue. Many unpaid carers are also workers; and many i...
Published on Sep 20, 2018
"If our workplaces and our workmates are supportive, and we take the breaks we should, seek the support we need when recognising we’re finding it tough or help is required, we’d all live in a much healthier space," says Business SA CEO Nigel McBride. He&...
Published on Sep 10, 2018
Simonie Fox, group strategy manager of rehabilitation and claims at AIA Australia, told the Investment Magazine Group Insurance Summit: “We’ve got oncologists whose patient load is growing and growing. Consequently, they’re really focusing on survival,...
Published on Aug 28, 2018
Follow the link for a fantastic resource from the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance, laying out six key areas and evidence-based strategies to help Australian employers maximise the mental health and wellbeing of workers. ...
Published on Aug 09, 2018
Deakin University conducted a return on investment study on sit / stand desks and found that they were excellent value for money. It would cost $185.2 million to provide 20% of Australian office workers with sit / stand desks, but would save 7492 “health-adjusted life y...
Published on Jul 31, 2018
Amie Steel, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, has written an excellent piece for The Conversation summarising the existing evidence on the benefits of osteopathy for conditions such as low back pain, pancreatitis, neck pain, back pain...
Published on Jul 31, 2018
Around 1.9% of Australian workers go to work high on ice, according to Business SA, South Australia's peak business lobby - increasing the risk of work injury, especially in safety critical roles. Management personnel at Pinnacle Drinks, based in the Barossa Valley,...
Published on Jul 17, 2018
A warning: the link in this heading leads to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald describing distressing scenes encountered by child protection workers. Please don't follow the link if you don't want to encounter such material at work. Our summary: the union that r...
Published on Jul 12, 2018
If you're after a bit of office worker affirmation, don't strike up a conversation with clinical exercise physiologist and corporate adviser Graeme Wright, who told PerthNow that desk-related work should come with a health warning. “If you look at tho...
Published on Jul 12, 2018
“Most insurers are saying that mental illness claims are on the increase,” says Margo Lydon, chief executive of SuperFriend. “We’ve been talking for 10 to 11 years about how, globally, we’re going to be seeing greater claims in the mental h...
Published on Jul 06, 2018
The ABC have teamed up with Smiling Mind and former Sydney Swans captain Brett Kirk to develop a series of mindfulness meditations, including some designed to help deal with different forms of workplace stress. Specifically, meditations to help you: Regulate feelin...
Published on Jun 29, 2018
In claim farming, telemarketers try to recruit clients for personal injury claims and then sell the client referrals to law firms. The practice is banned in some Australian states and against ethical guidelines in others. But desperate times call for desperate measures. As re...
Published on Jun 19, 2018
Employee performance and well-being consultant Franziska Alesso Bendisch has profiled BankUnited’s Bank On Wellness program for Forbes, highlighting 5 characteristics that she believes have led to unusually high employee engagement with the program. Sta...
Published on Jun 08, 2018
Happy managers are low on three key job stressors, according to new Australian research reported on The Conversation. Role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload all increase managers' unhappiness, while reducing performance. "Put simply, managers are...
Published on Jun 05, 2018
Dr Vered Gordon is a GP consultant based at the Black Dog Institute. She says that managers often struggle to respond well when workers disclose mental health problems. She shared 5 tips with Smart Company: Respond to disclosure with compassion and support. ...
Published on Jun 05, 2018
People who stand all day for work can end up aching all over, especially if they have poor posture and few breaks. Kusal Goonewardena, founder of the Elite Akademy physiotherapy clinic, told the Sydney Morning Herald that "mini-steps" (aka walking on the spot) ...
Published on May 22, 2018
Full disclosure: we think you should all be listening to Best Practice, a podcast hosted by Richard Aedy for ABC Radio National. The most recent episode (which we link to here) asks "How do you react when you notice bad behaviour taking place in the office, in corporatio...
Published on May 22, 2018
Why? “People who are very active at work spend eight hours a day being active,” says Pieter Coenen, an occupational health researcher at VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands. “They may get very limited rest breaks; their heart rate and blood...
Published on May 08, 2018
Back in 2015, Greg Medcraft then chair of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), said: "Culture matters to ASIC because poor culture can be a driver of poor conduct. Culture has been at the root of some of the worst misconduct we’ve seen ...
Published on Apr 24, 2018
Over the last year we've covered some of the challenges RTW poses for women specifically. Is flexible work for men the answer? Libbie Lyons, director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, has called on senior managers to set targets for flexible work amongst male emplo...
Published on Apr 24, 2018
RTW professionals are often the nice guys and gals of the office, which according to Peter O'Connor from the school of Business and Management at Queensland University of Technology means that they could be compromising their own success at work. But don't worry, it&#...
Published on Apr 24, 2018
Workers' comp and WHS will face mega challenges over the next 20 years, according to a report prepared by Safe Work Australia in partnership with CSIRO’s Data61. The Workplace Safety Futures report identifies six megatrends set to shake things up: the extending...
Published on Apr 24, 2018
RTWMatters is created in suburban Melbourne, northern NSW, country Victoria, Tasmania, Darwin and even further afield, meaning that we depend on digital connectivity and home office environments. We love the flexibility of this working model but there are health and wellbeing...
Published on Apr 10, 2018
Arthritis Australia's national policy and government relations manager, Franca Marine, recently shared some tips for helping workers with athritis remain at work. Here's something we didn't know: there are actually more than 100 different conditions that fall unde...
Published on Apr 10, 2018
Yes you can, according to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which recently upheld Comcare's decision to cease covering massage therapy for a worker injured in 1989. The massages began as a treatment for back pain brought on by a chronic cough from exposure to cigarette...
Published on Mar 27, 2018
John Brogden has written a thoughtful and personal analysis of James Packer's decision to resign from the board of Crown Resorts because of struggles with mental illness. Our highlight: "The good news is our treatment of mental health gets better and better all the t...
Published on Mar 23, 2018
You might have seen recent reports of employers up in arms about "the growth of paid-for sick notes which they say are being handed out like headache tablets in some pharmacies". The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has issued a rejoinder, stressing that&nb...
Published on Mar 07, 2018
Some public service workers' compensation claims may soon be managed by private sector insurers, if government departments and agencies decide to take advantage of new options announced by Comcare this month. The public / private model has already been trialled in the Com...
Published on Feb 27, 2018
In Western Australia, medical staff are being trained in self-defense techniques by the police. In Victoria, 95% of healthcare workers have experienced physical or verbal assault, according to WorkSafe Victoria. Patients have been known to spit at nurses and doctors, hu...
Published on Feb 23, 2018
An independent review of the mental health of members of the Australian Federal Police has found that: Almost 25% reported experiencing moderate to high levels of current psychological distress; 14% reported clinically significant symptoms of depression ...
Published on Feb 20, 2018
Did you know that whiplash injuries cost more than spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries caused by car crashes, according to the University of Queensland's Recover Injury Research Centre? Or that half of all people with whiplash injuries will be moderately to severely ...
Published on Feb 20, 2018
Superfriend and Safe Work Australia have released Taking Action: A best practice framework for the management of psychological claims in the Australian workers’ compensation sector. (It's an update and adaptation of a framework initially prepared for the life i...
Published on Feb 12, 2018
For FIFO worker Barry Haack a wrist injury eventually became a mental breakdown, after colleagues dubbed him "The Milky Bar Kid" because they believed he was milking his injury while working modifed duties. Mr Haack's supervisor offered no support, and eventuall...
Published on Jan 29, 2018
The idea that heavy lifting causes hernias is outdated, according to evidence presented on behalf of Comcare to the Workers' Compensation Tribunal. Expert witness Professor O’Rourke gave evidence that there had been a shift in the medical consensus in recent ye...
Published on Jan 29, 2018
We know that work-related stress can give some people high blood pressure. Scientists are now beginning to understand how work stress can rewire the brain in ways that also impacts the body. According to science writer Liam Mannix, "Chronic stress may be...
Published on Jan 16, 2018
On releasing the AMA’s position statement on mental health, Dr Michael Gannon says “Almost one in two Australian adults will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, yet mental health and psychiatric care are grossly underfunded when compared to phy...
Published on Dec 18, 2017
Early in 2017, the Australian Financial Review asked then-chief executive Ahmed Fahour if he was aware of internal allegations that senior managers were delaying workers' compensation claims to secure bonuses. He implied that he was not, but it's now been reveale...
Published on Dec 08, 2017
"It was so embarrassing … it was humiliating and all this time I could have been seeing my own GP," supermarket delivery worker Nyrie Stringer told the ABC, describing her experience of attending the work doctor with her manager present. Ms Stringer had ...
Published on Dec 01, 2017
Former Essendon player John Barnes suffered hundreds of knocks to the head when he was in the AFL. For the last five years he's suffered from epilepsy and experienced memory loss that makes tasks like shopping for groceries difficult. “I’m staring at the ...
Published on Dec 01, 2017
In this vivid article, people who've suffered psychological injury at work share their stories with news.com.au. For example, a child protection worker described his breakdown: "I just cracked up, I burst into tears and I told her how scared I was that this kid could...
Published on Nov 20, 2017
Workers win, government wins and employers win when workplaces become more age-friendly, according to a study from the Australian National University. The ten-year, longitudinal study compared the health, wellbeing and levels of welfare dependency amongst older workers and th...
Published on Nov 06, 2017
The Executive Health Index summarises clinical data collected from 30,000 executive-level employees at 500 organisations across Australia between 2013 and 2017. The index ranks professions according to physical health, medical health, psychological health, lifestyle fact...
Published on Oct 23, 2017
Australian businesses aren't doing enough to contain the identify hazards and assess and manage risks associated with occupational asthma, according to Dr Peter Jezukaitis, an occuptational physician. Annually there are at least 200 confirmed asthma-related workers&#...
Published on Oct 16, 2017
Around 75,000 Australians live with a psychotic illness; only 22.4% of this group works. Researchers say that that a new program combining web-based cognitive remediation therapies and supported employment programs might make employment a real possibility for many more. ...
Published on Sep 25, 2017
A casual primary school teacher from NSW has been awarded a six-figure settlement from a school authority on top of the workers' compensation payments she to which she has been entitled since 2014. The teacher had sustained a severe psychiatric injury as a result of bully...
Published on Sep 15, 2017
Every year sleepy workers cause more than 10,000 serious workplace injuries. Currently, it's up to workers to self-identify as too tired for work. Researchers at Monash University think they might have a solution: saliva or blood tests that objectively assess whether work...
Published on Aug 28, 2017
Joshua Schulz was employed as a contractor, with no leave or superannuation entitlements, operating under an ABN and collecting GST, working part time as an Uber driver - and yet he was also eligible for workers' compensation from the company who leased him his vehicle, a...
Published on Aug 28, 2017
Six years ago, a Senate inquiry found "a conclusive link between firefighting and cancers, and found certain cancers to be up to five times more likely than in the general population". In NSW and Victoria, however, firefighters diagnosed with work-related cancers fa...
Published on Aug 14, 2017
Some sobering facts from the Australian: "The construction and mining sectors, the most exposed to the boom and bust of Australia’s economy in recent decades, have the biggest suicide problem. Unskilled labourers are most at risk. "Data from the Na...
Published on Aug 14, 2017
A former Woolworths’ cold room worker expected to lift more than 2000 heavy boxes per day to shoulder height and above has been awarded $231,211.45 in compensation plus legal costs by the Court of Appeal in Brisbane. The boxes weighed up to 24kg, and some were labe...
Published on Jul 31, 2017
Firing the employee might seem like a relatively easy solution to long-term work absence, given the many challenges of supporting people back to work after a period of prolonged absence. However, if the employee protests it's up to the employer to prove that, on the...
Published on Jul 31, 2017
To yell or not to yell: if that was the question, evidence suggests North Melbourne coach Brad Scott puts his vote firmly in the 'to yell" column, after being filmed indulging in an angry tirade at a poorly performing player this month. RMIT Professor of Manage...
Published on Jul 17, 2017
We can't vouch for the comprehensiveness of this list, but the people at PR Wire have compiled a list of all the incentives (i.e. premium reductions) available in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Scroll down to find the detail...
Published on Jul 07, 2017
WorkCover Queensland and Monash University have announced a new research partnership, which will focus on identifying and supporting injured workers who are at risk of poor return to work outcomes and/or pursuing common law against their employers. “There are...
Published on Jul 03, 2017
Small business owners face pressures that may undermine their own mental health, according to Anthony Hasphall, training team manager for St John Ambulance Victoria. And they can find it difficult to cope when employees struggle too: "For small business owners...
Published on Jul 03, 2017
Follow the link for a fantastic overview of the science and art of ergonomics, which focuses on shaping the environment to suit people (and not the other way around. According to Ted Dohrmann, managing director at Dohrmann Consulting based in Melbourne: "Wherever y...
Published on Jul 03, 2017
Finding it hard to concentrate at work? Irritable with your colleagues? You might be due a mental health day! Health and wellbeing psychologist Marny Lishman says, "In a perfect world, confessing to taking a mental health day would be great as, if everyone was...
Published on Jun 05, 2017
According to RUOK, Australian businesses need to create more interpersonal trust. Research recently launched by RUOK and NSW icare found that more than 1/3 (36%) of Australian workers aged 25-34 are concerned they'll be blamed for mistakes at work, compared with arou...
Published on Jun 02, 2017
More than one fifth of truckies experience mental illness and most aren't receiving treatment, according to research cited by the Transport Workers Union. They've partnered with beyondblue to draw attention to the issue. According to Beyondblue’s Head...
Published on May 22, 2017
Karen Hitchcock is a doctor and writer who has a regular column in the Monthly. Recently she had this to say about the sick day: "Getting sick has its advantages: time off work, the presence of doting loved ones, fiscal compensation, identity solidification, sympathy, at...
Published on May 22, 2017
If you're lucky enough to work for an organisation that allows its employees flexibility about where and when they do their work, here's some free advice from a lawyer: you need to have clear policies and procedures about working from home, and understand the impact t...
Published on May 19, 2017
In 2011 a truck driver on his way home from an induction session was involved in a head-on collision with a motorcyclist, who died at the scene. The driver subsequently developed PTSD, and his employer (Bernie Howe Pty Ltd) covered the workers' compensation payments. Fast...
Published on May 15, 2017
Surgeons often overestimate the benefits of their work and underestimate the harm of it, according to leading orthopaedic surgeon, Ian Harris. As reported in the Canberra Times, Professor Harris recently told a gathering of surgeons that around half of orthopaedic surgic...
Published on Apr 24, 2017
Best Practice airs on Radio National. In this episode, Rhonda Brighton-Hall asks questions about work satisfaction: "What makes a difference when it comes to how you feel about work and who are the happiest workers in Australia?" ...
Published on Apr 10, 2017
The ABC has published the transcript of a speech Julia Gillard gave at Adelaide University, hot on the heels of the news that she has replaced Jeff Kennett as the chair of Beyond Blue. Gillard announced that Beyond Blue has now set its sights on suicide prevention, and ...
Published on Apr 10, 2017
There was a 33% drop in serious workers compensation claims between 2000-01 and 2013-14, according to the 2014-15 Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics report recently released by Safe Work Australia. However, median compensation paid for a serious claim rose...
Published on Mar 13, 2017
Lynn Morgan's work injury left her with incomplete paraplegia: in workers' compensation terminology, 92% total body disability. Now as a result of total immersion therapy she is free to move again. According to the Adelaide Advertiser, therapy creator Pete...
Published on Feb 22, 2017
Australia Post is again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with managers accused of manipulating injury rates and using corporate credit cards to pay for workers' medical treatments in order to secure bonuses for KPIs (key performance indicators) relating to LTI ...
Published on Jan 30, 2017
Do you feel as though you need to be a counsellor or psychiatrist to manage mental health issues in the workplace? The experts have spoken: just as you don't need to be an orthapedic surgeon to help someone cope with a broken leg, you don't have to be an expert in men...
Published on Jan 16, 2017
Two new reports from Safe Work Australia detailing the results of the 2016 Return to Work Survey are now online. The biannual survey compares the return to work experiences and outcomes of injured workers against a number of variables, including returning to work, workplace r...
Published on Dec 19, 2016
Do unexplained work absences give employers reason to direct an employee to see an Independent Medical Examiner (IME)? Well that depends, according to a 2016 ruling from the Fair Work Commission. Yes, if work absences are frequent or prolonged, and linked to any illness that ...
Published on Dec 05, 2016
You may hit a paywall when you attempt to follow the link attached to this story, but we couldn't ignore the Australian's coverage of the crackdown on mental health claims at Comcare, which sources say has been initiated at the behest of the federal government. ...
Published on Dec 05, 2016
Taking advice from lawyers before organising the work Christmas party? Bah humbug indeed! This alert from Lexology provides employers with hints and tips for an accident-free, claim-free festive season. Our favourite: designate a couple of senior staff members to stay sober, ...
Published on Dec 05, 2016
A former prosecutor who worked for the Specialist Sexual Offences Unit of the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) between 2009 and 2011 is seeking damages for lost earnings and lost earning capacity. Zagi Kozarov says she suffers from severe chronic post-traum...
Published on Nov 21, 2016
There were 27,759 claims for serious injury from Australian truckers in the years 2010-11 to 2014-15, according to data from Safe Work Australia, averaging more than 5,000 claims per year. Manual handling injuries, falls and vehicular accidents accounted for 33.9%, 27.2% and ...
Published on Nov 18, 2016
A workers' compensation case that has bounced from the Adminstrative Appeals Tribunal, to the Federal Court, the High Court and back again is yet to establish whether a decision taken by the ABC constitutes reasonable management action undertaken in a reasonable manner. A...
Published on Nov 14, 2016
Unlike some other OECD countries, Australia does not currently include work rehabilitation as part of the standard management of cancer patients - but it should, according to an oncologist and senior staff specialist at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Professor ...
Published on Nov 02, 2016
Architects can help organisations make the most of the link between staff wellbeing and productivity, according to a panel of designers at the recent Architecture & Design’s Commercial Connect event held in Sydney. How? By using big data to analyse staff movem...
Published on Oct 24, 2016
Former Premier of Victoria and Chairman of Beyond Blue, Jeff Kennett, is lobbying the Business Council of Australia to endorse a plan that would make the mental health of employees one of the annual key performance indicators of private-sector executives and government d...
Published on Oct 24, 2016
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has thrown out a Comcare workers' claim for compensation after surveillance footage showed the worker playing a poker machine in a club and going on a fishing trip with friends where he helped lift a kayak from a trailer, picked up a fu...
Published on Oct 03, 2016
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has supported Comcare's decision to stop covering massage treatments more than 12 years (and 648 massages) after a workplace accident left former public servant Jeffery Drummey with an injured back. Deputy Preside...
Published on Sep 26, 2016
Comcare is headed for the Federal Court to challenge the Administrative Appeals Tribunal's decision to award workers' compensation to ASIC senior manager John Chambers. The tribunal upheld Mr Chambers' claims that he suffered from anxiety and depression afte...
Published on Sep 18, 2016
For Comcare workers wondering what constitutes a legitimate workplace injury, secondary weight gain and jogging are out but moving to Canberra is in, reports The Australian - at least for now. Despite a 25% decrease in the number of claims lodged over the last 5 year period, ...
Published on Sep 11, 2016
Almost three quarters of Australian workplaces have no formal policy or procedure for managing staff mental health issues, according to a survey of Australian workplaces conducted by the law firm Minter Ellison. The national mental health commissioner, Professor Ian...