Deakin stresses lower premium

By John Van Klaveren
DEAKIN University’s stress-related insurance claims for the past 12 months were “significantly” less than $500,000, according to a spokesperson.
The Independent reported last week an internal Deakin report put the university’s mental stress insurance exposure at more than $1.5 million. Deakin also had a disproportionate number of stress claims, the report said.
“Deakin’s Workcover insurance premium for 2012/2013 is estimated at around $1.5 million,” the spokesman said this week but this premium provides cover for a broader range than simply stress-related claims. The costs associated with mental stress-related insurance claims over the last 12 months were significantly less than $500,000.
“Clearly we take stress-related injury very seriously with a pro-active program of initiatives to reduce the incidence. There has been only one Workcover claim for a stress-related injury over the last eight months.”
The spokesman said an increase in Deakin’s average-lost-time rate from 58.5 in 2010 to 148.5 in 2011 was not a measure of days lost.
“As Deakin’s physical injuries have declined faster than the psychological injuries, the average lost time has increased.”