Abstract
Work-related injury can have severe impacts on the individual injured. Personnel managers and rehabilitation counsellors need to know how to alleviate such impacts in order to enhance return-to-work programs. This paper reports on a Queensland study designed to assess the dimensions of impact and the ways in which it can be mitigated. If a model of impact can be developed, factors which influence intensification and mitigation can be identified and targetted. The study found that impact severity was influenced by a range of factors: job security, gender role, organizational policies, and the provision of instrumental and emotional forms of support. It was found that injury severity and injury impact are not always directly correlated: a worker may have a serious injury and suffer little or no impact; the converse may also be true. The degree to which injury impacts have been managed is crucial. Directing resources to specific impact mitigation services is recommended.
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