Reforming risky systems
American researchers think we can design worker’s compensation systems that promote occupational health and safety and improve the wellbeing of injured workers – but stakeholders say that, like Australia, the US is not there yet.
In Australia and internationally, workers who lodge claims for compensation of work injury tend to recover more slowly than those who don’t. This raises serious questions about the pressures that compensation systems place on worker wellbeing, and the safety risks designed into what is supposed to be a safety net. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States wanted to get a clearer view of th...