Psychosocial hazards and how to run a risk assessment

Safe Work Australia lists the common psychosocial hazards as:

• high or low job demands, low job control, poor support and lack of role clarity
• poor organisational change management, inadequate reward and recognition, and poor organisational justice
• traumatic events or material, remote or isolated work, and a poor physical environment
• violence and aggression, bullying, harassment (including sexual and gender-based harassment), and conflict or poor workplace relationships

Hazards interact. High workload is a bigger risk when workers cannot take breaks or have nobody to help, so assess the combination, not each item alone. Stress is not itself an injury, but frequent, prolonged or severe stress can cause psychological harm such as anxiety or depression, and physical harm such as musculoskeletal injury.

In deciding which controls to use, regulation 55D(2) says you must have regard to all relevant matters, including:

• the duration, frequency and severity of exposure to the hazards
• how the hazards may interact or combine
• the design of work, including job demands and tasks, and the systems of work, including how work is managed, organised and supported
• the design, layout and environmental conditions of the workplace and any workers’ accommodation
• the plant, substances and structures at the workplace
• workplace interactions or behaviours
• the information, training, instruction and supervision given to workers

These regulations sit under the primary duty of care in section 19 of the WHS Act. Officers, such as directors, must exercise due diligence to make sure the business complies.

For the NSW detail, see NSW psychosocial compliance and NSW WHS codes of practice. Bullying is covered in workplace bullying obligations.

• Ask workers and health and safety representatives directly, in meetings or through an anonymous survey.
• Observe work and interactions, including with customers and clients.
• Review duty statements, rosters, staffing and workload data, and any upcoming restructure or system change.
• Look for patterns: one team with high sick leave, repeated complaints about one area, or regular unpaid overtime.

Before starting, decide who will be involved and how you will record and communicate the outcomes. The psychosocial risk self-assessment gives you a structured first pass.

The model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work says a formal risk assessment is not needed if you already know the risk and an effective control, but most workplaces benefit from one. A simple risk register works.

Consult workers who are, or are likely to be, directly affected, and involve any health and safety representatives. The consultation duty checker helps you work out who to consult and when.

Record the hazards, how you assessed them, the controls chosen, the consultation and the training given. Records show an inspector you have met your duties and make the next review faster. Where a complaint involves confidential information, keep the detail in the case file and only high-level information in the risk register.

An employee assistance program or resilience training on its own does not eliminate or minimise a hazard that comes from how work is designed. Treat these as supporting measures.