Government statutory agency Safe Work Australia (SWA) has published a new report illustrating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers returning to work following an injury or illness.
The report titled, “Returning to work during COVID-19” offers insights into the experience of returning to work during the pandemic, both positive and negative.
Notably, the study discovered Victoria had the highest percentage of wounded or ill employees who were seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (26.4 per cent), followed by New South Wales (21.6 per cent), the ACT (20.6 per cent), Tasmania (19.1 per cent), and Queensland (18.5 per cent).
One in five ill or injured workers reported that the outbreak of COVID-19 had an effect on their ability to recuperate and return to work.
Employees who were distressed or suffering from psychological harm were more likely to say that the COVID-19 outbreak had hampered their recovery and ability to return to work.
Findings also revealed that only 11.2 per cent of employees felt that the COVID-19 pandemic made it simpler for them to return to work, and for people who had psychological injuries, this percentage was significantly lower.
The biggest impacts of COVID-19 on workers’ return to work were restricted access to treatment, social and family assistance, and mental health treatment.
The majority of injured workers under the age of 25 reported having their hours cut back or being stood down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is consistent with data on the labour force, which showed that younger age groups saw higher drops in employment during COVID-19.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s overall negative effects, the SWA report showed some positive figures.
Notably, 18.3 per cent of people who suffered from psychological injuries and 20.3 per cent of people who suffered from physical injuries reported that the pandemic had a favourable impact on their rehabilitation.
For more information, visit this site.
