Workers' compensation cases at the Calvary Mater hospital rose by 300 per cent in eight years, documents reveal.
Psychological claims have also risen, with staff increasingly stressed over safety issues at the Mater, including mould and maintenance problems.
One Mater staffer said the hospital's problems "affects us all psychologically".
"Sick leave is definitely on the rise due to understaffing, the mould and water issues. It's a joke," the staffer said.
One document, tabled with the parliamentary inquiry into the scandal, showed the Mater had "three times more workers compensation claims" in 2016-17 than 2024-25.
"This is a trend that is set to continue and worsen," the document said.
"The nature of the claims has changed. In the last 10 years, psychological claims have increased from 5 per cent of claims to 15 per cent of claims."
In 2024-25, there were 65 workers' compensation claims at the Mater. A further 38 claims were received from July 2025 to February 2026.
Inquiry chair Amanda Cohn was not surprised by the data, "given everything we now know".
She was referring to the "unsafe conditions for patients and staff at the Mater under this public-private partnership (PPP)".
Dr Cohn said the situation was "profoundly impacting staff wellbeing both physically and psychologically", adding that Mater staff "must be listened to".
She said the hospital's infrastructure issues must be remediated, so staff can "get back to the work they were trained to do, instead of having to constantly fight for safe conditions".
A Calvary Health Care document said "prolonged uncertainty" around the "multitude of infrastructure failures" at the Mater had affected staff morale.
Additionally, there had been a "higher turnover in staff and reduced staff retention, requiring repeated recruitment campaigns".
"Workers have become increasingly concerned about the safety of their workplace," the document said.
This was shown by "increased involvement with SafeWork NSW and industrial organisations in respect of resolving health and safety issues".
"This is also demonstrated by significantly increased numbers of incidents reported," the document said.
The document said SafeWork NSW was involved in only three regulatory matters at the Mater from 2021-23.
However, from January 2024 to March 2026, there were 24 matters involving SafeWork.
"Clinical staff are experiencing a higher workload, including having to undertake tasks such as routine cleaning which are outside their core duties," the Calvary document said.
"In addition, staff are often spending more time with patients to provide reassurance around the environmental risks."
Calvary Health Care's submission to the inquiry said the not-for-profit Catholic organisation was "in a difficult position in respect of the workplace it can provide for its staff".
"While Calvary has legislative obligations to provide a safe workplace, the ability to do so is largely outside of its control given the challenging PPP arrangement."
Nevertheless, the Mater had enacted "several initiatives to promote staff wellbeing", amid concerns about "long-term feelings of not being safe".
Mater nurse Camilla Smith told the latest inquiry hearing on June 11 that staff and community trust in the Mater had been compromised.
"Their belief that they are safe when they walk through the doors has been deeply shaken," Ms Smith said.
"The loss of confidence is now one of the most significant and harmful consequences of the ongoing infrastructure failures."
Ms Smith added that "cladding repairs have finally commenced on the southern end of the building".
"However, any meaningful action to address the systemic mould issues continue to be delayed."
The Minns government announced in June that it would spend $400 million on a "maintenance blitz" for the state's struggling public hospitals.
The funding will improve heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, including the defective one at the Mater.
