New report on psychological health in Australian workplaces

27 Feb 2024

Safe Work Australia has published new information identifying trends in psychological health in workplaces. 

The Psychological health and safety in the workplace report highlights the changing impact of work-related psychological injuries in Australia. During 2021-22p:

• Mental health conditions accounted for 9% of all serious workers’ compensation claims, a 36.9% increase since 2017-18.

• The median time lost was more than 4 times greater than that of all physical injuries and illnesses (2020-21).

• The median compensation paid for mental health conditions was more than 3 times greater than that of all physical injuries and illnesses.

• Workers with claims for mental health conditions experienced poorer return to work outcomes and were more likely to experience stigma from colleagues and their employers.

  
  

  The report draws from 3 main data sources including the Safe Work Australia National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics, the National Return to Work Survey and the People at Work risk assessment survey.