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Trauma symptoms after a workplace incident
Quick answer: After a frightening, dangerous, or distressing event at work, it is common to experience trauma responses such as intrusive memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance of reminders, and a loss of confidence. These are recognised, understandable reactions to an abnormal event, and they respond well to treatment. Where the symptoms are connected to a workplace incident, treatment may be available under the NSW Workers Compensation scheme.
Some workplace injuries arise from events that are not only physically harmful but psychologically distressing: a serious accident, a near miss, witnessing something traumatic, an assault, or any event where a person felt genuinely unsafe. When the mind has been through something like that, it can take time to settle, and in the meantime a number of trauma responses can develop.
Common trauma responses
- Intrusive memories, images, or flashbacks of the incident
- Nightmares or disturbed sleep
- Hypervigilance, or a sense of being constantly on guard
- Being easily startled or feeling jumpy
- Avoidance of people, places, tasks, or situations that serve as reminders, which may include the workplace itself
- A loss of confidence, or fear about returning to a similar environment
- Feeling numb, detached, or cut off from others
These responses are the mind's way of reacting to a threat it has not yet been able to process. They are not a sign of weakness, and for many people they ease with the right support.
What treatment involves
Trauma-focused treatment is careful and paced. It generally begins by building a foundation of safety and stability, including an understanding of how the nervous system responds to threat and practical skills for managing distress. Only when a person is ready does any processing work begin, and that work is structured and controlled rather than a matter of reliving the event. EMDR and other trauma-focused approaches can help reduce the emotional charge attached to distressing memories, so that they become less intrusive over time.
Treatment under Workers Compensation
Where trauma symptoms are connected to a workplace incident, psychological treatment may be available under the NSW Workers Compensation scheme, subject to approval. Treatment is delivered by telehealth across NSW, which can make it easier to access support without travelling to an unfamiliar setting. Your GP can assist with the referral and the documentation the scheme requires.
Frequently asked questions
Common trauma responses include intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance or feeling constantly on guard, avoidance of reminders, heightened startle, and a loss of confidence. These can develop after a frightening, dangerous, or distressing event at work.
No. Effective trauma treatment is carefully paced and begins with building safety and stability. Processing work, when it happens, is structured and controlled, and is not about reliving or retelling the event in full. The pace is guided by what feels manageable for you.
Where trauma symptoms are connected to a workplace incident, psychological treatment may be available under the NSW Workers Compensation scheme, subject to approval. Your GP can assist with the referral.
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This page is general information for people in NSW and is not personal or clinical advice. Eligibility and funding depend on your individual claim and insurer approval. Please speak with your treating doctor about your situation. If you are in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (or text 0477 13 11 14), or call 000 in an emergency.