School workplace injuries on the rise Astoundingly, recent data indicates that incidents of workplace injuries by school and tertiary teachers are on the rise. WorkSafe data shows teachers from state and private schools, as well as tertiary and TAFE educators, made 1,199 of claims in 2022 and 1,468 claims in 2023. In the last 12 months, Arnold Thomas & Becker had almost 100 enquiries relating to teachers injured while working – for both psychological and physical claims. The psychological enquiries and claims we receive are those who have come forward with complaints of mental injuries caused by bullying, gendered violence and stress, while physical injuries are commonly incurred as a result of schoolyard accidents while on duty, and injuries caused from falling or tripping. Anne’s story Our client, Anne (not her real name), submitted a claim for psychological injury after working as a teacher’s aide for a teacher who was abusive towards the students, in a class for children with a learning or physical disability. The teacher would yell and scream at the children and spoke to them in a rude and nasty manner and without genuine care. The teacher also told the children they were wrong regularly and would punch the whiteboard in anger. Over a prolonged period, Anne developed feelings of fear, helplessness and trauma as a result of witnessing the mistreatment. This was especially compounded as Anne felt like she had to cover for the teacher to protect herself – both her career, and knowing that if she spoke up, the teacher would make her daily working environment worse for her. Anne was leaving work every day under emotional distress and in tears and still carries the trauma with her, even after leaving the school. Ultimately, Anne received $475,000 for her pain and suffering. Seeking compensation If you’ve suffered a traumatic physical or psychological injury during the course of your employment, we understand it isn’t easy to speak up. However, it’s important to know that you aren’t alone and by coming forward you may give others the courage to do the same. Arnold Thomas & Becker lawyer Nancy Yonan said there was a growing “workplace safety crisis in our schools”. “Arnold Thomas & Becker represent a number of teachers who are pursuing workcover claims against the Department of Education and have identified an increase in common law claims relating to teachers and educators. “It’s unfortunate to see our state’s educators are suffering from serious physical and psychological illnesses, as evidenced by an increase in claims of the past 5 to 10 years,” she said. “There is a growing workplace safety crisis in our schools, which we believe is heavily underreported as we find that many teachers who contact us are wary about speaking out or pursuing claims as they fear the repercussions on their employment status or reputation.” Contact us If you are a teacher who has been injured at work and this story resonates with you, we’re here to help with your compensation entitlements. If you don’t win, there’s no fee. To speak to a lawyer for a confidential, no-obligation discussion, call us on 1300 333 300 or email [email protected]