The Problem

At the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic, WorkSafe was concerned with the potential increase in Metal Injuries due to the radical changes expected to happen in the work environment and society as a whole.

Lockdowns and social distancing meant that the treatment reality was also going to change and could impact negatively the outcomes for injured workers.

The Process

We deployed rapid research methods to understand the reality in edge scenarios, such as nurses and aged care.

We co-designed a new service with workers and employers that could help prevent mental injuries by supporting workers developing initial symptoms, such as work-related stress and anxiety.

After selecting a partner, the service was piloted with an industry group.

Outcomes

The pilot was successful, allowing 90% of the workers that contacted the service to recover from the early symptoms of mental injury. For the workers that entered the service requiring a different level of support, WorkSafe was able to capture early the need for a WorkCover claim and additional support.

The Innovation team is now currently growing this pilot to different industries.