Insurance workers are feeling the pressure following the Victorian bushfires and North Queensland floods, with the Finance Sector Union (FSU) reporting high levels of stress in the industry.

The FSU says staff dealing with home and contents claims are experiencing problems accessing properties, are fearful of encountering potential dangers such as asbestos, and are having to deal with the distress and anger of policyholders on a daily basis.

Now the union is seeking meetings with insurers to find out what contingency plans they have in place, including counselling and other assistance for staff, to make sure they can cope with these events both now and in the future.

National Policy Director Rod Masson told insuranceNEWS.com.au staff are working overtime to deal as quickly and efficiently as possible with disaster victims, which is putting them under immense pressure.

“The people that are actually involved in going out and doing the assessing, who are dealing with the people, also need access to appropriate counselling because it can be quite a harrowing and disturbing process even for them,” he said.

Mr Masson says despite wanting to make sure they process claims as quickly as possible, staff still face physical constraints such as the fact that fires are still burning, roadblocks are still being used and police are still gathering forensic evidence.

“While everyone concedes it’s the community that’s been impacted most, and that this aspect deserves the most attention, our insurance members are working very hard to get things done.”