Bosses ignore trauma impacts at their peril

IMAGINE a job that exposes you to a nightmare scenario of violence or brutal behaviour every day.

DUTY OF CARE: A compensation law expert says employers can't ignore the effects of work stress. Picture: hobo_018

IMAGINE a job that exposes you to a nightmare scenario of violence or brutal behaviour every day. Then repeat the experience endlessly until you crack under the pressure.

Prominent Brisbane compensation law specialist Mark O'Connor said it was happening more often than people might realise and it was time employers woke up to the reality they ignored the effects of work stress on their staff at their peril.

He said a recent judgment of the County Court of Victoria had thrown a media light on the subject of protecting the psychological health of employees who were routinely exposed to instances of trauma.

In this case a newspaper reporter was not reporting the issue, she was the issue.

Mr O'Connor said while it was understood that frontline emergency services personnel were often exposed to significant trauma, it was often not appreciated just how ongoing exposure to brutal experiences could impact on any worker.

"Frontline police often struggle to cope with the daily trauma they face as do paramedics and firefighters but we're now seeing how others in the workforce can struggle to cope with the never-ending stress that their job imposes on them,” Mr O'Connor said.

The crime reporter with Melbourne's The Age newspaper recently took compensation action against her employers for failing to support her as she struggled with the burden of crime reporting.

The County Court of Victoria found in her favour and found thenewspaper had failed in its duty of care to protect her and because of that breach of duty she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The perception people have of crime reporters is that they are pretty hard boiled and wouldn't crack under pressure,” Mr O'Connor said.

"This reporter investigated the most notorious Victorian crimes in the period 2003 to 2009. She investigated murders, rapes, violent deaths and the Black Saturday fires. She investigated the murders of children. She had close contacts with scenes of violence and the families of victims of crime.”

Yet the newspaper office's masculine environment discouraged staff from sharing emotional burdens in favour of alcohol as a solution. The reporter fell into a spiral, became emotional at work but support promised to her never eventuated.

"Although The Age newspaper management knew that there were risks for reporters who were exposed to trauma such as psychological injury and that crime reporters were at the greatest risk, there were no adequate systems put in place to protect the staff,” Mr O'Connor said.

The Court found the newspaper had failed in its duty of care to protect the reporter and because of that breach of duty she suffered an injury - post-traumatic stress disorder. Damages for pain suffering and permanent assessment were assessed at $180,000.

""We are seeing increasing instances where employers are being pursued for compensation by staff who were not given adequate support to cope.

"Employers who fail to provide such support do so at their peril as the courts are now sending a very clear message to them.”