WorkSafe Victoria has launched a new campaign aimed at helping injured workers get back to work following the release of statistics that show that the longer injured workers are off work, the more psychiatric and physiological help they need.

“This campaign aims to highlight that returning to work as soon as it is safe to do so can be an important part in the injured worker’s recovery,” State Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said.

“New data shows injured workers who remain off work one year after their injury are six times more likely to access mental health treatment than injured workers who went back to work after a month.”

The data shows that five per cent of injured workers who were off for four or more weeks sought access to mental health treatment, rising exponentially to 18 per cent for those who were out of the work force for six months, and up to 30 for those who were away for a year.

For the next five days, a special installation at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station will be home to an actor playing the part of an injured worker named “Pete”.

Pete will spend five days replicating the actions injured workers can take over a six-week period to recover and prepare to return to work.

Pete will be visited by the people that play an important role in helping an injured worker back to work – his family, his doctor, his physio, his colleagues and employer.

The location of the installation, daily video links, and a strong social media campaign will spread the message of the benefits of a safe return to work.

WorkSafe Chief Executive Denise Cosgrove said it was not just the injured person’s own determination to get back to work that counted.

“The role played by family and friends, employer, doctor and other medical professionals is crucial in the return to work process,” Ms Cosgrove said.

Ms Cosgrove said the longer an injured worker was away from work, the less chance they had of getting back into the workforce.

“If an injured worker is off work for more than 20 days, their chance of getting back to work falls to 70 per cent. After 70 days, it’s down to 35 per cent,” Ms Cosgrove said.

“That’s why helping an injured worker back to work as soon as it’s safe to do so is so important for them and their families.”