What matters in this occupation
Incident, CCTV, radio, body-worn video, access-control and police records can be central. Request preservation promptly and keep the worker’s own factual account separate from later assumptions about fault.
Workers and roles covered
- Static guards at retail, commercial, health, residential and government sites.
- Crowd controllers and licensed security staff at venues and events.
- Mobile patrol, alarm-response, loss-prevention and control-room workers.
- Security personnel required to restrain, remove, monitor or respond to aggressive people.
Tasks, claim issues and useful records
| Task or exposure | Why it may matter to the claim | Useful occupation-specific evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Assault, restraint or physical intervention | The event may cause physical and primary psychological injuries. Use-of-force allegations should not replace a careful chronology and objective records. | Incident report, CCTV, body-worn video, radio traffic, duress log, police event number, roster and witnesses. |
| Threats, abuse and repeated aggression | A primary psychological claim requires medical diagnosis and employment evidence. Frequency, severity and response matter. | Threat messages, occurrence logs, prior alerts, complaint records, escalation reports, roster and clinical chronology. |
| Patrol, prolonged standing and equipment carriage | Foot, knee, hip, back and shoulder conditions may require task duration, distance, load and progression evidence. | Patrol logs, access scans, equipment weight, site map, shift duration, footwear requirements and medical records. |
| Night work, remote work and traumatic scenes | Fatigue may affect an incident, while exposure to serious injury or death may support a psychological claim depending on the diagnosis and facts. | Rosters, call-out logs, scene records, supervisor report, post-incident support and treatment records. |
Injuries and claim issues
Physical assault injuries
Head, facial, upper-limb, spinal and lower-limb injuries should be medically identified. The event page explains mechanism evidence; the injury page explains diagnosis and assessment.
Primary psychological injury
PTSD, depression or another diagnosed condition is not presumed from an upsetting event. Clinical evidence and a clear work chronology are required, and the insurer may raise causation or management-action issues.
Cumulative physical demands
Prolonged standing, patrol and equipment carriage should be quantified. Imaging or pain alone does not establish work contribution or WPI.
Treatment, capacity and WPI
Treatment and suitable duties should address aggression exposure, public contact, night work, patrol and licence requirements. WPI is assessed separately under the applicable body-system or psychiatric method.
Reporting and evidence difficulties
- Complete the employer incident report and any venue, client or police report. Keep reference numbers because records may sit with different entities.
- Request CCTV, body-worn video, radio and duress data promptly and identify the exact time and camera or device.
- Use factual language about the event. If the worker cannot recall parts because of injury or trauma, record that limitation rather than filling gaps.
Pay records and PIAWE
- Night, weekend, casual and event-based earnings may require complete rosters and payslips when PIAWE is determined.
- Multiple security employers are common. Identify every employment held at the injury date and the hours and payments for each.
Suitable duties and return to work
- A control-room role may still involve incident footage, alarms, concentration, shift work and contact with aggressive people.
- Day patrols may reduce night exposure but still require walking, standing, driving and physical response.
- The plan should identify public contact, intervention duties, location, hours, supervision and emergency expectations.
Common insurer disputes
- The event is minimised because no physical contact occurred, despite recorded threats or intimidation.
- The worker’s conduct is relied on without addressing whether an injury arose in the course of employment.
- Psychological symptoms are attributed to non-work factors or reasonable management action.
- A desk or control-room role is said to be suitable without examining triggers, concentration, shifts or emergency duties.
Practical evidence checklist
- Employer, client-site and venue incident reports and reference numbers.
- CCTV or body-worn video preservation request, radio logs, duress and access records.
- Police event number, witness details, photographs and contemporaneous messages.
- Rosters, site post orders, patrol logs, licence and training records.
- Prior threat or hazard reports and records of staffing or requested assistance.
- Medical and psychological notes, certificates, treatment requests and medication restrictions.
- Payslips, allowances, other-employment records and suitable-duties proposals.
Hypothetical claim example
Repeated threats followed by a physical confrontation
A shopping-centre guard records several threats from the same person over two weeks. During a later removal, the person pushes the guard into a barrier. The client holds CCTV and radio logs, while the security employer has only a brief incident summary. The worker develops shoulder symptoms and later seeks psychological treatment.
- Preserve the earlier threat reports as well as the later assault records to show the full chronology.
- Obtain medical evidence for the physical and psychological conditions separately.
- Identify which organisation holds each record and keep the original reports and timestamps.
- This hypothetical does not establish that either condition will be accepted or produce WPI.
Common questions
Can threats without physical contact support a claim?
They may be relevant where work-related threats contribute to a diagnosed injury. The severity, repetition, chronology, medical evidence and other circumstances matter.
What if the venue owns the CCTV?
Send a prompt written preservation request identifying the time, place and cameras. The employer, venue and insurer may each hold different evidence.
Can I claim for both physical and psychological injuries?
Both may be claimed where supported, but they require separate diagnosis and can be treated differently for permanent impairment and section 66 purposes.
Are control-room duties always suitable?
No. Footage, alarms, concentration, public contact, shift patterns and emergency expectations must be compared with the worker’s certified capacity.
Related claim, accident and injury guides
Have an occupation-specific claim problem?
Send a short chronology, the insurer decision and the records you already have. We can assess the workers compensation issue and whether an ILARS funding application may be available, subject to eligibility, merits and IRO approval.
Legal service provider
NSW workers compensation help from Stephen Young Lawyers
NSW Work Injury Claim is the workers compensation service of Stephen Young Lawyers. Stephen Young Lawyers provides the legal service. Stephen Young Lawyers.
Stephen Young Lawyers was established in 2012. The firm is led by Stephen Young, Principal Solicitor and Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law.
Workers across New South Wales can arrange telephone or video appointments. In-person appointments can be arranged at the Sydney office when appropriate.
NSW Work Injury Claim enquiries: (02) 7233 3661
- Content publisher:
- NSW Work Injury Claim
- Published:
- Last legally reviewed:
Key legal sources
- Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW)
- SIRA workers compensation
- IRO legal assistance for injured workers
- Personal Injury Commission
- SafeWork NSW workplace violence guidance
- Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW)
- SIRA PIAWE Reference Guide (July 2026)
- SIRA guidance on providing suitable work
This information is general in nature and is not legal advice. You should obtain advice about your own circumstances.
This page provides general information about NSW workers compensation. It is not legal advice, and an entitlement depends on the worker’s facts, medical evidence and the law applying to the claim.