Are you as an employer addressing psychological work injuries?
Psychiatric stress cases can be expensive and difficult to prove or disprove. Psychiatric stress can cost employers a lot of money such as providing treatment, evaluation, compensation and lost productivity. Employers should comply with OSHA by providing a safe and healthy work environment which includes preventing work-related injury and disease. Companies should check their state laws regarding what type of mental injuries are covered by their state laws.
Here are the typical worker’s compensation cases:
- Physical/Mental –
is a psychological injury claim that results from a physical injury or occupational disease. Example: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of severe workplace accident injury. - Mental/Physical –
is a psychological injury resulting in a disabling physical work condition. Example: Sudden noise at the worksite that results in a heart attack or paralysis. - Mental/Mental –
is a psychological occurrence while working, leading to a psychological injury or condition. Example: An employee witnesses a workplace accident and later develops a fear of operating the equipment where the workplace accident happened.
What Can Employers Do to Prevent Psychiatric Claims?
- Responding to trauma at work.
Many employers are ill prepared to handle traumatic events and yet these events do occur in our workplaces. For victims of traumatic, violent or frightening events, it is important to provide support to all of the affected staff as soon as possible after the incident. Employers may also want to explore enlisting the services of their Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or another professional. - Handling stressful work environments.
Employers can reduce workplace stress by making employees feel valued. Organizations should have an effective internal complaint procedures and some sort of informal dispute resolution system to address employee issues in the workplace. - Avoiding psychiatric harm after physical injuries.
Employers can also attempt to avoid mental harm that arises from job-related physical injuries. Companies learn how to legally manage employees who have pre-existing mental problems or stress issues that may be exacerbated by any physical injury. - Train supervisors and managers.
Supervisors/Manager should be trained how to constructively address trouble situations at work. This includes identifying behavior that may indicate problems that require professional assistance. Employers should further understand that harassment and bullying are great risks to an employee’s psychological well-being and have a plan in place to deal with these risks. - Encouraging positive mental health generally.
Employers should invest in their employees’ psychiatric well-being. The returns for this type of investment increase morale and worker productivity. Companies should ensure that they implement EAPs that acknowledge the interrelationship of work and family problems and should encourage stressed employees to seek help.
