Our guide to understanding the common workplace situations that can cause a stress response and lead to psychological and physical harm.
It’s no secret that businesses are seeing an increase in stress related incidents as a result of the business climate of recent years, in combination with a variety of macro factors that have impacted what was considered to be a normal way of life. COVID-19, fires, floods, business interruption, home schooling, work-from-home and return to the office, job security and global events, to name a few, have been thrust upon individuals heightening our senses and increasing stress loads.
Employers and employees have had to pivot quickly and adapt to daily changes in the work environment to remain productive and profitable in very fluid and dynamic work situations. As a result, businesses are experiencing a dramatic increase in psychosocial reported events with managers ill-equipped to work through these situations without an approved code of practice in place to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
When it comes to managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace how can managers be sure that their current identification and management of risks is compliant with section 274 of the New South Wales Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act)? SafeWork NSW have developed a Code of Practice Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work which provides practical guidance on how to achieve compliance with the work health and safety standards required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulation (WHS Regulation), including effective ways to identify and manage risks.
Let’s look at psychosocial hazards and how they may arise in the workplace.
WHAT IS A PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARD?
Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design or management of work that increase the risk of work-related stress and can lead to psychological or physical harm.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS AT WORK?
Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work and situations that may cause a stress response which in turn can lead to psychological or physical harm. These stem from:
- the way the tasks or job are designed, organised, managed and supervised
- tasks or jobs where there are inherent psychosocial hazards and risks
- the equipment, working environment or requirements to undertake duties in physically hazardous environments, and
- social factors at work, workplace relationships and social interactions.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS?
Psychosocial risks arise from poor work design, organisation and management, as well as a poor social context of work, and they may result in negative psychological, physical and social outcomes such as work-related stress, burnout or depression. Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design or management of work that increase the risk of work-related stress and can lead to psychological or physical harm. Examples of psychosocial hazards might include poor supervisor support or high job demands.
HOW DO PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS DEVELOP IN THE WORKPLACE?
Psychosocial hazards can develop as a result of:
- work-related stress
- bullying and harassment
- lone or remote working
- violence in the workplace
- fatigue, and
- alcohol and drug use.
HOW CAN MANAGERS DEAL WITH PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE?
- Implementing collective risk assessment and management measures, as it is done with other workplace hazards
- Adopting collective and individual preventative and control measures
- Developing policies and procedures and an approved code of practice that is compliant with section 274 of the WHS Act.
WHAT ACTION DO I NEED TO TAKE AS A MANAGER?
These hazards exist in every business, and we are here to help…. Our Awareness Assessment is your first step to understanding your risks, but also your legal obligations, when it comes to psychosocial hazards in your workplace. We will help you conduct a business risk assessment and provide practical guidance on how to achieve compliance straight away. Contact the team at info@awarenessco.com.au today!
Awareness Co. is a Wollongong based Employee Engagement and Wellbeing consultancy, providing HR solutions that go beyond just work performance, and focus on developing individuals and teams to thrive in work and in life. Awareness Co. use the latest evidence-based tools to improve wellbeing, resilience and performance transforming the way you think, feel and behave at work. To learn more about our services, and to book in for your FREE Awareness Assessment, visit https://www.awarenessco.com.au/book-a-meeting
You can download a copy of the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work here.
