NSW teachers suffering psychological harm at work
Teaching is a profession that requires immense dedication and responsibility, especially for those working for the NSW Department of Education and Training. Teachers are grappling with a worrying trend of psychological injuries at work, particularly as a result of stress, high workloads, and bullying and harassment by senior staff.
The number of teachers working for the NSW Department of Education and Training (‘DET’) suffering from work-related psychological injuries is on the rise.
According to workers’ compensation claims data from the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (‘SIRA’), there were 763 psychological injury claims lodged by NSW teachers in 2022, which means approximately 14 teachers lodged workers’ compensation claims for psychological injury every week. The total cost of these claims exceeded $65,000,000 for public, private and catholic school teachers.
A study of over 1.5 million Australian workers’ compensation claims showed that the education sector had a 33% higher rate of psychological injuries than non-education workers, with almost one-third of all injuries being sustained by those employed in secondary education.
Workers in the education sector face a number of psychological stressors including but not limited to, increasing workloads, abrupt changes to the curriculum, hostile workplace environments, bullying, intimidation, harassment, unreasonably high expectations, and stress.
In response to this alarming situation, the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales has launched several programs aimed at providing mental health support, which it says is intended to promote a culture of well-being within the educational community.
If you, or someone you know, has been injured at work, we would be pleased to meet with you to discuss your options for free. Please contact our friendly team at (02) 4050 0330 to make an appointment with one of our expert personal injury lawyers.
We know that you want the very best in legal representation, which is why our personal injury team is led by an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law.
