Psychosocial Safety

Psychosocial safety refers to creating a working environment where workers are protected from psychological harm arising from the design or management of work, the work environment itself, or workplace interactions and behaviours. It’s about preventing psychological injury and fostering a culture where employees feel safe to speak up without fear of reprisal.

Under the WHS Act, the definition of ‘health’ explicitly includes both physical and psychological health. This means that duty holders, primarily PCBUs, have a legal obligation to manage risks to mental health. The core of psychosocial safety is a proactive approach that systematically identifies and controls hazards that could create stress and lead to injury.

A work environment that lacks psychosocial safety can lead to a sustained stress response in workers. While some stress is a normal part of work, prolonged or excessive stress can cause significant harm. This can manifest as psychological conditions like anxiety and depression, or even lead to physical harm, such as musculoskeletal injuries or chronic disease.

Psychosocial safety refers to creating a working environment where workers are protected from psychological harm arising from the design or management of work, the work environment itself, or workplace interactions and behaviours. It’s about preventing psychological injury and fostering a culture where employees feel safe to speak up without fear of reprisal.

Under the WHS Act, the definition of ‘health’ explicitly includes both physical and psychological health. This means that duty holders, primarily PCBUs, have a legal obligation to manage risks to mental health. The core of psychosocial safety is a proactive approach that systematically identifies and controls hazards that could create stress and lead to injury.

A work environment that lacks psychosocial safety can lead to a sustained stress response in workers. While some stress is a normal part of work, prolonged or excessive stress can cause significant harm. This can manifest as psychological conditions like anxiety and depression, or even lead to physical harm, such as musculoskeletal injuries or chronic disease.

The role of the PCBU

A ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’ (PCBU) holds the primary duty of care. This involves ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the work environment does not pose risks to health and safety. These WHS duties now clearly encompass the management of psychosocial hazards.

The responsibilities of a PCBU include:

• Identifying reasonably foreseeable psychosocial hazards that could give rise to risks of harm.

• Eliminating these risks, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimising them.

• Implementing control measures and ensuring they are maintained and effective.

• Consulting with workers on matters relating to their health and safety.

Effectively managing psychosocial risks is not just about compliance; it's about building a sustainable and productive workplace.

How Elker helps foster psychosocial safety

Creating a psychologically safe workplace requires open communication. Elker provides a secure platform for employees to voice their concerns early, allowing organisations to identify and address psychosocial hazards before they escalate. By offering customisable reporting pathways and real-time analytics, Elker gives duty holders the tools to understand trends, pinpoint areas of concern, and implement targeted interventions. This proactive approach to issue management is essential for maintaining psychosocial safety standards.

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of the job or work environment that can cause a stress response, potentially leading to psychological or physical harm. Safe Work Australia and various codes of practice identify a wide range of these hazards. It is important to remember that hazards can interact and combine, increasing the overall risks to a worker's health.

Here are some common psychosocial hazards found in Australian workplaces:

Hazards related to job design and demands

• High job demands occur when workers are consistently faced with excessive workloads, unrealistic deadlines, or high-pressure situations. For example, child protection workers are often exposed to emotionally draining and high-stakes cases.

• Low job demands that are highly repetitive, monotonous, or underutilise a worker's skills can also be a hazard. Think of workers on tightly managed production lines engaged in tasks like packing products.

• Low job control refers to situations where workers have little control over how and when their work is performed. A lack of autonomy in decision-making and rigid work processes can create stress.

• Lack of role clarity: When roles, responsibilities, or expectations are unclear, inconsistent, or subject to frequent changes.

• Poor support: This includes inadequate emotional support from managers and colleagues, insufficient training, or a lack of resources to perform the job effectively.

Hazards related to the workplace environment and culture

• Poor workplace relationships: Conflict, incivility, and a lack of fairness are key hazards. This can include unreasonable behaviour from colleagues or managers.

• Workplace violence and harassment: This is a critical hazard that encompasses a range of behaviours, from verbal abuse and threats to physical assault and sexual harassment.

• Poor organisational justice: This hazard arises from the inconsistent application of policies, unfairness in decision-making, or a failure to address grievances appropriately.

• Exposure to traumatic events: Some roles inherently expose workers to traumatic events or materials, which can have a severe psychological impact.

• Poor physical working environment: Hazardous working environments, such as those with high noise levels, poor air quality, or exposure to hazardous chemicals, can have a direct impact on mental health and increase stress.

Managing psychosocial risks requires a systematic and proactive approach, much like managing any other health and safety risk. The goal is to identify psychosocial hazards, assess the level of risk they pose, and implement effective control measures to mitigate these risks. This process is a continuous cycle of identification, assessment, control, and review.

1. Identify psychosocial hazards

The first step is to identify the psychosocial hazards present in your workplace. Consultation with your workers is essential. They often have firsthand experience of the aspects of their job that create stress.

• Consult with your workers: Use anonymous reporting, team meetings, and informal discussions to encourage open and honest feedback.

• Review data: Look for trends in reporting data, absenteeism, staff turnover, and workers' compensation claims.

• Observe the workplace: Pay attention to interactions, workloads, and the general working environment.

Elker is a powerful tool for this stage. Our secure reporting platform encourages employees to report psychosocial hazards, safety issues, and misconduct. By identifying emerging risks and trends through real-time analytics, organisations can translate employee feedback into targeted initiatives that enhance workplace safety and transparency.

2. Assess the Risks

Once hazards are identified, you need to assess the associated risks. Consider the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure for your workers. How likely is it that a hazard will cause harm, and how severe could that harm be? Remember that multiple hazards can combine to increase risks. For instance, high job demands combined with poor support and low job control create a significantly higher risk of psychological harm.

3. Implement Control Measures

Under the hierarchy of controls, the primary aim is to eliminate psychosocial risks where reasonably practicable. If elimination isn't possible, you must minimise the risks.

• Elimination: The most effective measure. This might involve redesigning a job to remove exposure to traumatic events or eliminating excessive workloads.

• Substitution: Replace a hazard with something safer. For example, changing a rigid workflow to one that allows for more worker autonomy.

• Isolation: Separate workers from the hazard. This is more common for physical hazards but could involve creating quiet zones for tasks requiring intense concentration.

• Engineering controls: Change the physical environment, equipment, or work processes. An example is improving lighting or ergonomics.

• Administrative controls: This is the most common level of control for psychosocial hazards. It includes changing work practices, policies, and procedures. Examples include:

  • Providing clear guidance and establishing clear roles and responsibilities.

  • Ensuring fair and transparent processes for organisational change.

  • Providing training on respectful workplace relationships and conflict resolution.

  • Improving work design to ensure manageable job demands.

Elker supports the implementation of administrative control measures by providing a structured and transparent system for reporting and managing incidents of harassment, bullying, or other unreasonable behaviour. The platform's customisable workflows ensure that reports are handled according to best practice and organisational policy, demonstrating a commitment to organisational justice.

4. Review and Improve

Managing psychosocial risks is an ongoing process. You must regularly review your control measures to ensure they are effective and that the workplace remains a safe environment. Continue to consult with your workers and monitor your workplace data to identify any new hazards or areas for improvement. This commitment to continuous improvement is at the heart of effective health and safety management.