If you think Comcare is a better option, it isnt" - Surge in claims for workplace stress

By Michael Pelly - SMH
June 21, 2004.

Stressed-out workers are flooding insurers with claims and blaming low job
control, high job demands and poor support from their bosses.
Mental stress accounts for 6 per cent of all injury claims, and the costs are
considerably higher because victims take more time off work than for other
injuries and incur higher medical and legal bills.

The largest workplace insurer in Australia, Comcare, says the steady increase
in pyschological injury claims - both lodged and accepted - in recent years
comes after a sharp drop-off during the late 1990s.

A spokesman for Comcare said the upsurge in such claims since late 2002
had driven workers' compensation costs higher for its clients, all Australian
and ACT government agencies. In the 10 months to the end of April it
received 650 claims and accepted liability on 481.

Sprains and strains, such as wrist injuries from keyboards, accounted for
36 per cent of all claims, and 26 per cent of the total cost of meeting those
claims. Back injures was the next biggest category at 17 per cent of claims
and 18 per cent of costs. Psychological injuries comprised only 6 per cent
of claims but 21 per cent of costs.

As stress does not constitute a disease or injury under Commonwealth
legislation, employees must show they are suffering from a recognised
mental illness or disorder, such as depression and anxiety conditions. The
workplace has to be a contributing factor. Stress resulting from misconduct
or failure to gain promotion is not covered.

"It has to be sustained work pressure," the Comcare spokesman said.
"Everyone has a bad week or even a bad month. There has to be some
type of disorder that has developed over time - that is, unless someone
points a gun at you in a bank."

Britain's Health & Safety Executive has identified six factors that can lead
to work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and
change.It splits the hazards into two groups: content of work, and the
context of work.

With content, HSE cites the reliability of work equipment, underuse of skills,
erratic and onerous workloads, and inflexible schedules. Context involves
problems with the culture of an organisation, career development, poor
relationships with bosses, and being left out of decision making.

The Comcare spokesman said programs in the mid-1990s at high-stress
workplaces such as Centrelink had been instrumental in reducing such
claims, but government and private insurers alike had noticed claims were
again on the rise.

In addition, more claims were being lodged by people in affluent suburbs,
with managers in more troubled environments - those with a "rougher clientele"
- proving more effective in tackling the problem. He said the focus was on
rehabilitation rather than payouts. "Costs of pyschological injury claims are
considerably higher than other injuries because of longer periods of time off
work and higher medical and legal expenses than other claim payouts."

If this was how Concare treated Stress claims in 2004, I dont hold out much
hope for them to have improved. Although the legislation does include stress
claims now the attitude taken by Comcare is typical when a claim is made.
Worksafe and Comcare play Judge and Jury when a workplace injury claim is
made for a stress related issue. So either way, injured workers loose!
We dont need Comcare !!!!!!