An employee who developed a psychological injury during the
course of a workplace investigation claimed that it arose because
of the way the investigation was conducted and claimed workers
compensation on that basis. The employee's claim was successful
after the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
(QIRC) found that the investigation was not
conducted in a reasonable way.
What happened?
The employee was asked to participate in a workplace
investigation that was being conducted by an external investigator.
Before meeting the investigator, the employee was told that an
investigation was being conducted following complaints about the
female manager who had hired her and the employee was asked to
participate in the investigation as a witness. The employee was
assured that the investigation was not about her and that she need
not be concerned about the investigation. On this basis, the
employee decided not to bring a support person to the
interview.
