Personal injury claims: The role of an Industrial Psychologist
Every person’s injury claim is different and determining the amount of compensation due to a claimant requires professional advice. One of the experts which assists with determining the impact of an injury on loss of income or ability to earn an income is an industrial psychologist.
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Industrial psychologists are generally involved in the quantum phase of a trial, in other words after liability and responsibility to pay compensation has been successfully proven. For a list of other experts that may be involved in your case, see our article on Medical Negligence – Medico Legal Experts
What does an Industrial Psychologist do?
Traditionally an industrial psychologist, also referred to as an IP, applies psychological theory to an organisation or industry. Specifically, they look at how employees within the organisation relate to their work environment and often provide advice on how to improve employee and organisational performance.
An industrial psychologist also has knowledge of the different career paths and salaries associated with a specific profession. Based on a client’s educational and employment history, they are able to predict a likely career and income projection which assists in determining the value of a claim related to financial loss of earnings, earning potential or loss of financial support suffered by dependents.
In a personal injury matter, in conjunction with other experts, an industrial psychologist can give recommendations to the court on likely career projections and salaries. These recommendations are then calculated actuarially to arrive at a figure. The court has the discretion to consider, accept or disagree with the recommendations, therefor it is important to have the opinion of a recognised and experienced industrial psychology expert to support your claim.
Qualifications and training needed
Earning a Bachelor’s degree is the first step to becoming an industrial psychologist. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree majoring in psychology, the following is needed to qualify for registration as an industrial psychologist:
- An Honours degree in industrial psychology;
- A directed Master’s degree programme in psychology approved by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA);
- Successful completion of a full-time approved internship of 12 months duration; and
- Successful completion of the National Examination of the Professional Board for Psychology in the relevant registration category.
Industrial or organisational psychologist is one of nine categories in which can be registered with the HPCSA.
How does an Industrial Psychologist assist in a case?
Industrial psychologists will need to assess a client’s complete educational and employment history to make predictions of possible future scenarios, before and after the injury. This may include:
- Completion of specially created questionnaires and personal interviews and consultations;
- Collection of documents and proof of education and employment such academic and qualification certificates, academic records, bank statements, salary advices and employment contracts.
- Consultations with employers, colleagues and educators.
- Information on education, qualifications and careers of parents, siblings and family.
By using actuarial evidence and statistics, they can postulate the likely career path which a person could have followed as well as the income associated therewith. Since nothing in life is certain, the industrial psychologist may suggest several likely scenarios to the court, supported by evidence, and the court can make the decision as to which scenario it believes would be most probable. Contingencies in the form of percentage deductions may be applied where there are uncertainties which the court has to consider. These figures are calculated by an actuary who takes into account changes such as inflation, rising living costs, salary expectations, retirement age and life expectancy.
Obtaining the maximum and fair amount of compensation in your personal injury claim is important, since in South African law a person only has one opportunity to claim for a specific injury. If your case is not researched and proven correctly, you may be seriously undercompensated.
If you would like more information on the personal injury claims process, feel free to contact our offices at 012 809 1588 or paul@pauldup.co.za