negligent or accident prone but, in a study by Hersey (1936) it was discovered that in over 400 cases investigated, 50% took place while employees were in an emotionally low state. This may be due to various factors including shift work or machine paced piece work (L. Murphy 1986). The largest tangible dollar value that can be put on work related stress cases are Workman Compensation costs. In 1992, Occupational Hazards that a Florida District Court of Appeal awarded benefits in a case when a man who sustained a serious back injury on the job attempted suicide due to depression. Even though the back claim had already been settled previously, the family filed for stress benefits due to depression and anxiety. The court granted benefits based on the stress defense (Occupational Hazards 1992). How big is the stress problem in the United States? Well in 1988 alone stress claims accounted for 14% of all occupational diseases filed (Newsweek). This number is 3 times higher than 1980 and is still on the rise. More recent information from interviews with a cross-section of about 600 American workers reviled that: 33% seriously thought about quitting work because of job stress, and they expected to "burn out" on the job in the near future. Of the people interviewed, it was thought that job stress is the single greatest stress in their life. (http://www.ncci.com/html/ncfoj2.htm) NCCI In another case Hearsh vs Hughes Aircraft the employee accepted a lump settlement of $20,000 for a stress claim when he suffered a minor nervous breakdown and lost his job with the company. Yet another case in 1986 was settled out of court for $50,000 that involved a manager of a furniture rental store. After one year of hearings and court costs, the employee was awarded the lump sum payment due to stress induced by a hostile supervisor (Newsweek 1986). No doubt about it stress claims are on the rise, and industry is spending billions in court costs, lost wages and m...
