A pioneering study provides a statistical portrait of the financial and human costs associated with psychological injuries in the world of work in Quebec. The estimate comes to $1.01 billion for the combined years of 2014 and 2019, an annual average of $169 million and an average cost per injured person of $121,590.
The study The cost of work-related psychological injuries in Quebec from the Robert-Sauvé Research Institute in Occupational Health and Safety (IRSST), obtained first by The duty, covers a total of 8,325 cases over six years. The average duration of compensation is 288 days compared to 119 days for all professional injuries over the same period.
Absences from work for psychological causes therefore total more than double the processing time. These prolonged withdrawals also explain that, in these cases, the bulk of the calculated losses come from lost productivity (59%). Medical costs account for 3% of total out-of-pocket costs, and administrative costs for even less (1%).
At the same time, we must put all these figures into perspective. Psychological injuries (around 1,400 cases on average per year) currently only account for around 1.4% of all injuries accepted by the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work. (CSSNET) and for 2.5% of all costs. Physical impacts therefore still largely dominate the approximately 98,000 occupational injuries recognized by the Commission on average per year.
PTSD in mind
The CNESST uses a classification of “psychological injuries” to identify “mental disorders or syndromes” that may affect employees. We find anxiety, stress, neurotic illnesses, nervous shock, depressive state, professional burnout (burnout), adaptation problems, etc.
“This study is a request from the Institute’s partners, for example sectoral associations, who wanted data on the costs of psychological injuries,” explains Martin Lebeau, economist at the IRSST, who co-authored the study with his colleagues Jaunathan Bilodeau and Marc-Antoine Busque. Mr. Bilodeau is recognized for his work on the financial effects of occupational health and safety problems and on the statistical cost of a human life. “With our new study, we understand which employees are affected, by which disorders and in which sectors in particular. »
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common and therefore the one that generates the most costs (536 million), followed by adaptation problems (309 million), depression (88 million) and anxiety (78 million). On the other hand, depression generates the most costs on average, $217,390, followed this time by adjustment problems and PTSD ($120,000 each).
The calculations make it possible to quantify the costs linked to various specific causes. Psychological harassment required 203 million in six years and conflicting work relations, 183 million. Then follow sexual assault (180 million) and sexual harassment (140 million), faced with the psychological consequences of shoving, armed threats, beatings and other forms of physical aggression.
The health care and social assistance sector suffered the greatest financial impact, at 224 million over the period studied, or 22% of the whole. The transportation and warehousing sectors follow.
“Care” at the front
Variations based on the gender of those affected are taken into account. Among women, cashiers, nurse’s aides and educators for disabled people come out on top. For men, jobs as truck drivers, delivery drivers, security guards and bus drivers top the list.
The data reveals a steady rise in costs, which ballooned by 195% (in constant dollars) over the six reference years. As the survey is based on the pre-pandemic period and the health crisis may have stimulated psychological distress at work as in society in general, it is possible that the situation has become even worse since then. In this regard, however, caution remains in order. A large synthesis by researchers at McGill University based on 137 studies carried out around the world showed that the pandemic ultimately had a relatively limited impact on the mental health of most people.
“Mental health is topical,” notes researcher Lebeau. People are becoming more and more aware of this subject. There has also been a change [en 2021] to the Act respecting health and safety at work which ensures that employers must take the necessary measures to protect the health, integrity and psychological safety of workers. Does this mean that more and more workers dare to report their problems to the CNESST? It’s possible. The number of cases is increasing, but the data doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. »
The study by the Institute’s “knowledge and statistical monitoring group” does not make recommendations, because that is not its role. Other people, those interested in injury prevention for example, will take charge in the coming months.