Introduction of new Regulations dealing with Psychosocial Hazards.
Legislation controlling and managing Psychosocial hazards in South Australian workplaces has been introduced.
Note: Psychosocial hazards have been managed and the WHS Act 2012 does define health as both physical and psychological, there has been major debate in how to manage psychosocial hazards.
This change closes a gap in relation to how psychosocial hazards are identified, assessed, controlled and evaluated.
These changes have been made to highlight the need to ensure that all duty holders are working to eliminate or reduce as far as reasonably practicable, workers and others exposure to psychosocial hazards.
These changes came into legislation in December 2023.
Please find below the relevant sections of the Model Regulations.
Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012—25.12.2023
Part 3.2 General Workplace Management
Section 55A Meaning of psychosocial hazard
A psychosocial hazard is a hazard that:
(a) arises from, or relates to: as at
- the design or management of work; or
- a work environment; or
- plant at a workplace; or
- workplace interactions or behaviours; and
(b) may cause psychological harm (whether or not it may also cause physical harm).
Section 55B Meaning of psychosocial risk
A psychosocial risk is a risk to the health or safety of a worker or other person arising from a psychosocial hazard.
Section 55C Managing psychosocial risks
A person conducting a business or undertaking must manage psychosocial risks in accordance with Chapter 3 Part 1.
Note—WHS Act—section 19 (see regulation 9).
Section 55D Control measures
- This regulation applies to a person conducting a business or undertaking who implements control measures to manage psychosocial risks in accordance with Chapter 3 Part 1.
- In determining the control measures to implement, the person must have regard to all relevant matters, including:
.(a) the duration, frequency and severity of the exposure of workers and other persons to the psychosocial hazards; and
.(b) how the psychosocial hazards may interact or combine; and
.(c) the design of work, including job demands and tasks; and
.(d) the systems of work, including how work is managed, organised and supported; and
.(e) the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of the workplace, including the provision of:
. (i) safe means of entering and exiting the workplace; and
.(ii) facilities for the welfare of workers; and
.(f) the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of workers’ accommodation; and
.(g) the plant, substances and structures at the workplace; and
.(h) workplace interactions or behaviours; and
.(i) the information, training, instruction and supervision provided to workers. - In this regulation:
.workers’ accommodation means premises to which section 19(4) of the Act applies.
Note: WHS Act—section 19 (see regulation 9)
The Model Code of Practice as produced by Safework Australia is currently being used by Safework SA as the regulator works on a SA specific code.
See below:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing-psychosocial-hazards-work
https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/996962/model_code_of_practice_-_sexual_and_gender-based_harassment.pdf
Firstly, what are Psychosocial Hazards?
Looking at various definitions, psychosocial hazards are:
Any hazards are anything in the design, management of work that increases the risk of work-related stress.
Now, this is a fairly general definition but what it does highlight is that if psychosocial hazards are not either eliminated at the source or if that isn’t possible, minimised as far as reasonably practicable there is the potential of both psychological and physical harm arising from being exposed to psychosocial hazards.
Ok, we’ve worked out we need to eliminate or least minimise the exposure of potential to psychosocial hazards, how can we identify them?
The first step is to look at what are the most common causes of psychosocial hazards are.
Here is a list as provided by Safework SA:
high job demands
low job demands
low job control
poor support from supervisors/co-workers
poor role clarity and role conflict
poor workplace relationships
poor organisational change management
poor organisational justice
low recognition and reward
remote and isolated work
poor environmental conditions
violent or traumatic events (primary and secondary).
Pretty comprehensive list!
What is interesting is that no matter industry you are in, workers are exposed to psychosocial hazards in some way or another.
Now we have worked what some of the causes of psychosocial hazards, the next step is focus on how to manage psychosocial hazards.
As with any hazards needing to be managed the process is still the same:
- Identify psychosocial hazards.
- Assess the psychosocial hazards.
- Control the psychosocial hazards using the hierarchy of control. Note you organization may need to utilise a variety of control measures.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your control measures.
Using this process combined with robust consultation processes goes a long way to minimising the harm caused by exposure to psychosocial hazards.
Step 1. Identify psychosocial hazards.
How do we identify psychosocial hazards?
Ideas include, talk to workers, look at workload, have there been “peaks and troughs”? busy times quiet times, have these been a contributing factor to worker’s deteriorating psychological health? incident reports, customer interactions, absenteeism, presentism, these are all tools that are available to both workers and employers to identify hazards.
Checklists dealing with psychosocial hazards can be both generic and specific to your worksite.
WHS Checklist for Managers and HSRs Psychosocial Hazards as Per Model WHS Regulations
Step 2. Assessing Psychosocial hazards. Risk Assessment.
Understand the nature of the harm that is caused by exposing workers to psychosocial hazards, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of harm occurring when workers are exposed to psychosocial hazards.
See below link to a psychosocial risk assessment tool.
Step 3. Control the risk.
After assessing the risk, the most appropriate control measure(s) that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances need to be selected and implemented.
When selecting a particular control measure, it is important to be able to justify why it was chosen over a different measure.
It is important in this step of the risk management process that you are consulting with workers on what are appropriate control measures.
Control measures must ensure that the hierarchy of controls has been utilised in relation to either eliminating the psychosocial hazard at the source or minimising the exposure to psychosocial hazard as far as reasonably practicable.
See link below.
https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/workplaces/mentally-healthy-workplaces/psychosocial-risk-assessment
Step 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the control measure introduced.
No use going to all the effort to implement a control measure if don’t have a process to evaluate how effective the control actual is.
Consultation is key through all these steps.
Workers, PCBUs, managers, HSRs, sub-contractors, labour hire workers, agency staff, public, etc. all need to be involved in the identification, risk assessment, introduction of control measures and the evaluation of control measures ensuring that the most effective controls are implemented.
Decreased job performance and morale, increased conflict, sick leave and staff turnover are signs to monitor when looking for workplace stress.
Effective ways of managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace include:
- Provision of support to workers in the form of competent colleagues, coaches and mentors, and professional networks
- Assessment of worker’s workload through collection of views of peers, supervisors and managers
- Managing significant changes in the organisation in an orderly way with as much consultation as possible, and keeping workers fully informed of the plans and progress at each stage
- Establishing a standard conflict resolution mechanism through which workers can address matters such as conflict with peers or supervisors
- Promotion of work/life balance and introduction of flexible work options such as paid parental leave, part-time work, flexible start and finish times, flex-days and job-sharing
- Having an effective counselling procedure
All of these strategies are simple, make good business sense, and can effectively contribute to PCBU / employers fulfilling their WHS obligations by providing a workplace in which the exposure to psychosocial hazards is minimised.
Adapted from Worksafe Health and Safety Queensland – Psychosocial risk assessment tool – under a Creative Commons licence.
Stress is a word used loosely in the community and is a complex emotional experience. Positive challenges motivate people psychologically and physically to learn new skills and master their jobs. This good stress can lead to high levels of satisfaction and productivity. However, challenges can also be personally distressing and disruptive.
Work that results in a person feeling unable to cope and unsupported may lead to an adverse psychological reaction known as stress and may lead to illness, injury and job failure. However, stress is not just feeling sad, upset or angry. It is interactive and people can have very different responses to the same factors.
It is estimated that in Australia over $200 million is paid in compensation claims for stress-related conditions each year. We do know that some workplace factors may contribute to stress reactions. These stressors may develop due to a sudden traumatic experience or may build up over time.
Common stressors in the workplace may include:
- work which is monotonous or lacks variety
- too much or too little work to do
- work that involves employees having to hide their feelings when dealing with customers
- performing work that goes against personal or social standards
- unpredictable, long or unsocial working hours
- poorly designed shift systems
- employees being unable to participate in decisions about their work or control how they do it
- environmental conditions such as poor lighting, excessive noise or heat
- low sense of achievement or few learning opportunities
- complex or inadequate equipment or technology
- inadequate communication systems with supervisors or co-workers
- recruitment policies which fail to ensure employees have suitable skills for the work and do not adequately train staff
- inconsistent people management or not in line with workplace policies, e.g. discrimination related to performance appraisal
- conflicting demands of home, family and work
There are no legislative provisions explicitly requiring employers to protect employees from work-related stress. However, the general duty of care under Section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 requires employers to ensure that workers are safe from risks to health and safety and that the work environment is safe. This includes looking out for and reducing work related stressors.
Workplace stress can result in physical, emotional and psychological injury, some of which include:
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Workplace stress has also been linked to an increase in aggression and violence in the workplace, accidents and absenteeism. This has proven to be a very costly exercise in relation to the bottom line in terms of lost time, increased insurance premiums and a less productive workforce.
Reducing workplace stress
To try and overcome the factors that can lead to workplace stress, the challenge for both management and employees is to establish policies, procedures and guidelines which ensure that workplace stress issues are effectively managed. To ensure that stressors are identified and assessed it is important that consultation takes place with employees. Decreased job performance and morale, increased conflict, sick leave and staff turn over are signs to monitor when looking for workplace stress.
Effective ways of managing workplace stress include:
1. provision of support to employees in the form of competent colleagues, coaches and mentors, and professional networks
2. assessment of employee workload through collection of views of peers, supervisors and managers
3. managing significant changes in the organisation in an orderly way with as much consultation as possible, and keeping employees fully informed of the plans and progress at each stage
4. establishing a standard conflict resolution mechanism through which employees can address matters such as conflict with peers or supervisors
5. promotion of work/life balance and introduction of flexible work options such as paid parental leave, part-time work, flexible start and finish times, flex-days and job-sharing
6. having an effective counselling procedure
All of these strategies are simple, make good business sense, and can effectively contribute to employers fulfilling their WHS obligations by providing a workplace in which stress is minimised.
Where stress in the workplace is caused, for example, by a physical agent, it is best to control it at its source. If the workplace is too loud, control measures to deal with the noise should be implemented where ever possible. If you are experiencing pain from repetitive strain, workstations can be re-designed to reduce repetitive and strenuous movements.
Job design is also an important factor. Good job design accommodates an employee’s mental and physical abilities. In general, the following job design guidelines will help minimize or control workplace stress:
1. the job should be reasonably demanding (but not based on “sheer endurance”) and provide the employee with at least a minimum of variety in job tasks.
2. the employee should be able to learn on the job and be allowed to continue to learn as their career progresses.
3. the job should comprise some area of decision-making that the individual can call his or her own.
4. there should be some degree of social support and recognition in the workplace.
5. the employee should feel that the job leads to some sort of desirable future.
USEFUL LINKS
https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/workplaces/mentally-healthy-workplaces/psychological-hazards
https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/resources/codes-of-practice
Acknowledgements:
WorkSafe Victoria Officewise A Guide to Health & Safety in the Office
PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal Workplace Stress
SafeWork SA www.safework.sa.gov.au
SafeWork Australia www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au