Safe Work Australia releases new WHS profile for nursing, care, and support workforce

Safe Work Australia Releases New WHS Profile for Nursing, Care, and Support Workforce

Safe Work Australia has published a new WHS profile for the nursing, care, and support workforce, drawing on the National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics alongside ABS Census data.

According to the federal agency, this profile helps depict the nature of risks that employees in these industries regularly encounter during performance of their tasks. It forms part of a broader effort by Safe Work Australia's ongoing release of WHS data across different occupations, giving safety professionals a clearer picture of emerging risks.

Key Findings From the WHS Profile

The nursing, care, and support workforce profile indicates the incidence rate of claims related to 'being assaulted by a person or persons' sits roughly 6.5 times greater than that of all other professions, and has risen over the past decade.

Worryingly, there has been a near doubling of mental health claims among these workers over the last decade. Predominant conditions reported include anxiety and stress disorders, reactions to stressors, and post-traumatic stress disorder, which together account for 80% of claims lodged.

• Assault-related claims sit well above the national average across other professions
• Mental health claims have nearly doubled in the past ten years
• Psychosocial hazards, including stress and workplace violence, drive a majority of compensation claims
• Anxiety, stress reactions, and PTSD make up 80% of reported claims

Why This WHS News Matters for Employers

This news reinforces why psychosocial risk management deserves priority alongside physical safety in care settings. Employers managing patient care and support staff should review current safety practices against this fresh evidence base, particularly where patient handling and transport procedures intersect with occupational violence risks.

Safety leaders across healthcare and community services should treat this WHS profile as a prompt to reassess how psychosocial hazards get identified, reported, and mitigated. Comprehensive safe work method statements remain a critical tool for documenting control measures for high-risk tasks within these settings.

For further context on how Safe Work Australia tracks outcomes across sectors, see recent news on WHS outcomes for apprentices and trainees and news covering WHS prosecutions data, both of which complement this latest safety release.

More comprehensive details can be accessed here.