Teachers more at risk of workplace violence than other professions

Tens of thousands of teacher compensation claims reveal the dangers educators face in the classroom - with one particular area especially prone to workplace violence.

Special needs teachers are more prone to workplace violence from student “outbursts” while their colleagues are also more at risk more than other professions, a new report has found.

A national study by Monash University has found educators are faced with a significantly higher risk of injury compared to other industries.

The six-year study analysed more than 84,000 education workers’ compensation claims from around the country showed 4.5 per cent of claims were for assault.

For non-educators, 1.8 per cent of the national claims were for assault.

Education Minister Grace Grace. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Queensland educators made 13,770 claims which was 16 per cent of the national total, behind NSW which had 38,715 and ahead of Victoria which had 11,154.

The Monash report conducted from 2009-2015 found special education teachers and teacher aides were the highest risk of lodging a claim.

Monash University research fellow Dr Tyler Lane said teachers faced pressure not to report assaults or injuries caused by staffing shortages and viewing a student’s actions as accidental.

“Special educators and education aides face a lot of challenges with the students that are in their care because they have a lot of behavioural and physical needs, and those can sometimes result in injury,” Dr Lane said.

“If it’s (caused by) a student, they may be somewhat disinclined to report it because they don’t see it as intentional or a student acting out, so we may find that these rates of assault injuries are even higher.”

Dr Lane said there was an elevated risk for teachers working with special needs students who may be prone to “unintentional” outbursts that could potentially cause injury.

The study found educators also faced psychosocial stressors from increased workloads, hostile environments and workplace bullying, continuous system changes and low job security.

“Stress is linked to dissatisfaction at work, depression, anxiety disorders, and psychosomatic manifestations, all of which have detrimental impacts on health and quality of work,” it read.

Queensland however, had the lowest rate of mental health claims and the shortest amount of time off work national.

A study has shown that teachers are more at risk of assault in the workplace.

Education Minister Grace Grace said any violence against state school staff was unacceptable.

Ms Grace said the while the occupational violence and assault claims through WorkCover represented less than one per cent of the state school workforce, one incident was too many.

“When there is an accident or an incident in a school, staff should have access to make a claim through WorkCover,” Ms Grace said.

“That’s what it’s there for. I am proud that Queensland has one of the most accessible and generous schemes in the country, meaning more workers are getting the support they need.”

Ms Grace said Queensland state school teachers had access to several tools and resources to support staff health and wellbeing including free individualised counselling.

“The department also has a comprehensive staff mental health strategy focused on promotion and prevention; support and early intervention; and response and recovery.”

Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan said school staff were suffering from increased verbal and physical assaults in Queensland schools.

“We know they’re being punched, bitten, spat on, bullied, sexually assaulted and psychologically harmed,” Dr Rowan said.

“The health and safety of every teacher, staff member and student in Queensland must come first.”

WorkCover data from the most recent financial year, 2020-21, showed Queensland teachers made 341 claims related to assault or violence, up by nearly 80 per cent compared to 2016-17.