Mental Stress from Multiple Traumatic Events at Work Was Compensable

A transportation worker filed a workers’ comp claim for mental stress due to exposure to a number of fatalities, serious and minor injuries and near misses. The claim was rejected on the grounds that his condition wasn’t work-related. On appeal, the Commission found that in the course of the worker’s employment, he was exposed to a several events that were traumatic as defined by workers’ comp law and policy. As a result, he developed a drinking problem, depression, anxiety and PTSD. Thus, his psychiatric and psychological diagnoses were causally related to the traumatic exposures at work and so they were compensable [Decision No: 2012-0995, [2012] CanLII 79463 (AB WCAC), Dec. 10, 2012].