Types of injury or illness
Regardless of the type or severity of a worker’s injury, their employment must be a ‘significant contributing factor’ for the injury be considered work-related.
The following sections explain the types of work-related injuries that can occur.
These types of injuries are defined as ‘damage to the body from an external force’ and can be different degrees of seriousness.
They can include:
- cuts and lacerations
- burns and abrasions
- penetrating wounds
- broken bones and fractures.
Psychological injuries (also known as mental or psychiatric injuries) are conditions that cause abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
They include (but aren’t limited to):
- depression
- anxiety
- adjustment disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder.
These are abnormal medical conditions that affect all or part of the body as a result of things like infection, inflammation, or environmental factors.
They can include (but aren’t limited to):
- industrial deafness
- Q-fever
- work-related respiratory diseases such as asbestosis, silicosis, and others.
Aggravated injury
Sometimes work can make a pre-existing injury worse or more serious. The pre-existing injury could be work-related or non-work-related.
Ongoing symptoms
Sometimes a worker may continue to have symptoms from their original injury, even after they’ve gone back to work and their claim is closed.
A worker experiencing ongoing symptoms can contact their insurer (WorkCover Queensland or your self-insurer).
Once it’s confirmed their symptoms are related to their original injury, their claim may be reopened.
Very serious physical injuries (also called ‘critical injuries’) are those that cause permanent damage or impairment. You can read about them, as well as claiming when someone dies at work, by following the links below.