Psychological Health And Safety

Psychological health and safety is the duty to manage risks to psychological health at work in the same way you manage risks to physical health. It is a work health and safety obligation, not a wellbeing initiative, and that is the part organisations most often get wrong.

Since amendments to the model Work Health and Safety Regulations in 2022, duty holders have been required to manage psychosocial risk. A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design or management of work, or in the working environment or interactions, that could cause psychological harm. Recognised examples include unreasonable job demands, low job control, poor support, low role clarity, poor organisational change management, inadequate reward and recognition, poor workplace relationships, remote or isolated work, and exposure to bullying, harassment, violence or traumatic content.

The duty follows the ordinary risk management steps. Identify the hazards, assess the risk, put control measures in place using the hierarchy of controls, and review whether they are working. Controls that change how work is designed and managed generally sit higher than controls that ask individuals to cope better.

Two things catch employers out. Consultation is part of the duty, and workers are usually the only people who can tell you which hazards are real in their work. And a wellbeing programme is a support rather than a control, so it does not answer a hazard that lives in workload, rostering or role clarity.

Safe Work Australia publishes a model Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work. Adoption, timing and the exact obligations vary by state and territory, and several jurisdictions have their own code, so confirm what applies where your people work. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s psychological safety training course, work health and safety course and the workplace compliance system that records completions and controls.