Workplace stress and bullying

I assess and report on the psychological injury caused by work-related stress, bullying, harassment and traumatic incidents at work, for claims before the Injuries Resolution Board, the courts and the Workplace Relations Commission. Reports are independent and accepted from solicitors acting for employees and for employers.

What I assess

  • Psychological injury arising from sustained work-related stress, excessive workload or unsafe working conditions
  • The impact of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at work, including where the complaint has been through an internal process
  • Traumatic incidents at work: accidents, witnessed injury or death, and critical incidents in healthcare, emergency and other front-line work
  • Pre-existing vulnerability, and whether the workplace events caused, aggravated or accelerated the difficulty
  • Capacity to return to work, and the supports that would make a return possible
  • Prognosis, expected recovery time and evidence-based treatment recommendations

What I do not do

I do not carry out fitness-to-work or occupational health assessments commissioned by an employer about a current employee, and I do not advise on HR processes or disciplinary matters. I do not accept instructions in criminal proceedings, and I do not assess injuries arising from assault or other violent crime. My work is confined to independent expert reports on psychological injury where a civil claim or complaint is being made or defended.

How the report helps

Workplace claims turn on causation: whether the difficulty was caused by the workplace, by something else, or by a combination. The report sets out the relevant history, the timeline of events at work, standardised measures of trauma, mood and anxiety, and a formulation that explains how the person came to be injured and what maintains it. Where the facts are disputed, I report on consistency between the account, the questionnaires and the records, and I say what I cannot determine.

How the assessment runs

The same four steps as every assessment: emailed referral from a solicitor; online assessment form and questionnaires; secure video interview; report about one week after the interview, once all records are in. Fixed fee, quoted on enquiry. Details are on the For solicitors page.

To instruct

Email info@amckiernan.ie with the subject line "Workplace injury instruction". Enquiries are answered promptly, typically within 24 hours.