Tertiary compo inquiry launched

EVERY university and TAFE college in Victoria will be investigated by workplace safety inspectors in a bid to reduce the number of stress and injury claims made by academic staff.

EVERY university and TAFE college in Victoria will be investigated by workplace safety inspectors in a bid to reduce the number of stress and injury claims made by academic staff.

The year-long audit will examine each institution's compliance with health and safety procedures including checking chemical storage, the use of protective clothing and management of stress.

It is the first WorkSafe Victoria investigation of the tertiary sector in five years and inspectors aim to reduce claims by 8 per cent.

The audit follows 273 workers' compensation claims in Victoria made by university and TAFE staff during the previous financial year.

National Tertiary Education Union Victorian secretary Matthew McGowan said it was about time someone paid attention to the high number of stress claims at universities and TAFEs.

"If you talk to university staff, there is a significant level of stress in the workplace which is caused directly by workload," Mr McGowan said.

"There are fewer full-time staff available so they are forced to do more with less and it gets worse and worse every year."

Mr McGowan said workplace pressure made up most of the claims, followed by bullying and harassment, which he said was often caused by workload pressures in the first place.

"I think it (the level of stress) is increasing," he said. " At least anecdotally it's getting worse and people are more and more describing the lack of time they have to do things. It is a significant problem."

Mr McGowan said as a union official he had seen some distressing cases of academics who had crumbled under the pressure of increased workloads.

"The effect on people is heartbreaking," he said.

"One particular case was a person who had a depressive illness that was brought on by the workplace environment.

"I don't think she has ever returned to work."

WorkSafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said the investigation would go to every TAFE and university in Victoria before the end of this financial year.

He said that the compliance audit was the first undertaken in the sector since 2002. Despite the union's account of increasing stress levels, Mr Birt said claims made by university and TAFE staff had dropped.

"The overall trend is down and is consistent with other industries," he said.

"Average claims cost for university and TAFE sectors is $32,800. WorkSafe is working with both sectors to deal with these issues recognising the value in protecting their employees as far as practicable."

Mr Birt said most of the claims were for injuries for manual handling and psychological conditions, which could include stress, harassment and bullying.

He said universities and TAFEs were like "mini towns" because they often had a number of different workplaces such as offices, laboratories, industrial units and workshops, which all had distinct safety procedures.

"So the inspectors will be looking at chemical storage, the use of protective clothing, where there has been safety incidents in the past and whether they have been logged, and that people have appropriate training and support," Mr Birt said.