Prevent a physical injury becoming a psychological injury
Secondary psychological injuries—psychological injuries that arise because of a physical injury—are rising across Australia. These claims cost five times more than a physical injury claim, and result in almost triple the average time off work compared to physical injuries alone.
You can act to help prevent secondary psychological injuries.
Best practice
Create a psychologically safe workplace by prioritising a worker's emotional and mental wellbeing alongside their physical recovery to help prevent secondary psychological injuries.
In practice, this means reaching out early with care, helping a worker through their claim (including prioritising their psychological support), and staying connected throughout their recovery.
Why this is important
Secondary psychological injuries often develop when a worker feels unsupported, excluded from their recovery planning, or is uncertain about their recovery or employment future. These injuries may be triggered by:
- poor communication during recovery
- lack of modified duties or flexible work options
- unresolved workplace conflict or isolation
- misunderstandings around recovery timelines or expectations.
Secondary psychological injuries are harmful to a worker’s wellbeing and can increase claim durations and costs. These claims cost five times more than a physical injury claim, and result in almost triple the average time off work compared to physical injuries alone.
Secondary psychological injuries are also harder to treat the longer they go unaddressed, making early intervention critical.
In Queensland (PDF, 1.51 MB):
- 5.1% of accepted physical injury claims where a worker has time off work have an accepted secondary psychological injury. This has doubled in the past five years.
- The average time a worker with an accepted secondary psychological injury claim stays away from work is 303 days.
- Only 34.6% of workers with a secondary psychological injury return to the role they were in when their physical injury occurred.
- The average cost of a secondary psychological injury claim is $130,785.
- The return to work rate for secondary psychological injuries is 61.7% (compared to 91.6% for physical injury claims).
- The average common law cost of a secondary psychological injury claim is $253,621 (compared to $144,573 for a common law physical claim).
- For a worker with a physical and secondary psychological injury who stays off work for more than 13 weeks, the return to work rate drops to 52.8% (compared to 75.6% for physical injury only claims).
What actions can I take now?
Employers, insurers and rehabilitation and return to work coordinators all play a critical role in preventing secondary psychological harm. You can act now:
- Regularly identify, assess and take action to control psychosocial risks and hazards (PDF, 0.21 MB).
- Reduce stigma around workplace injuries by encouraging workers to speak up with safety concerns, modelling inclusive leadership, and sharing information and supporting workers to make a claim.
- Make early, supportive contact with a worker after injury. This should be followed by clear, respectful and empathetic communication throughout recovery that is guided by a worker’s preferences.
- Use a biopsychosocial approach to consider physical, psychological and social factors that may impact a worker’s recovery.
- Recognise that psychological recovery is as important as physical recovery, and embed psychological support in all stages of rehabilitation and return to work.
- Know the signs (PDF, 0.21 MB) that a worker may be experiencing psychological distress, including becoming emotional, sad or withdrawn, being focused on their pain and reluctant to return to work, mentioning trouble sleeping, and having difficulty concentrating and managing tasks.
- Actively involve a worker in planning their rehabilitation and return to work by taking a person-centred approach, working in collaboration with them rather than telling or doing things to them. This builds trust and gives workers a sense of ownership and control, which can protect against psychological harm and reduce the likelihood of adjustment issues.
- Review a quick reference guide to improve your mental health literacy, grow your confidence in supporting workers in distress, and learn how to recognise warning signs.
- Talk to your insurer or seek free, independent support from Workers’ Compensation Information and Advisory Service for Employers.
Your toolkit
Use these trusted resources to support your prevention efforts:
- WorkCover Queensland’s factsheet: A physical injury can become a mental injury too (PDF, 0.21 MB).
- Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s Mentally health workplaces toolkit (PDF, 10.61 MB), and WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell Toolkit.
- To understand your obligations, read the Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022 and watch an event recording about the Code of Practice.
- Watch the recording Psychological health for small business.
- Watch this recording on understanding and preventing Secondary psychological injuries.
- It Pays to Care has released new resources for work injury management in Australia and New Zealand.