The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023-2033 addresses ongoing and emerging challenges in work health and safety over the next decade, including managing psychosocial risks, the rise of artificial intelligence, automation and related technologies, and new types of work including gig work.

Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Baxter said “while data shows that fatal and serious injuries at work have declined over the last decade, Australian workers are still getting sick and injured, sometimes fatally, from work.

“Through this Strategy we are focusing our efforts to ensure the work health and safety system in Australia can improve outcomes and address emerging challenges over the next decade.”

Vehicle incidents, being hit by moving objects and falls from a height account for the most fatalities, while body-stressing, falls, slips and trips, and being hit by moving objects are the cause of most workplace injuries.

According to the latest data, 70% of fatalities and 61% of serious workers’ compensation claims occur in six industries:

• agriculture
• construction
• transport
• manufacturing
• healthcare and social assistance, and
• public administration and safety.

Source: SafeWork Australia, 23 February 2023

Psychological safety and psychosocial risks both relate to the workplace but they differ in the factors that contribute to them and their impact on employees.

Psychological safety is a positive attribute that fosters a supportive work environment, while psychosocial risks are negative factors that can harm employee well-being and productivity.

Both are very important aspects of workplace health and safety that require attention from employers to create a safe and healthy work environment.

Psychosocial risks can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. On the other hand, promoting psychological safety can help create a positive work environment that supports employee engagement and productivity.

What is Psychological Safety
Psychological safety refers to a work environment in which employees feel safe to express themselves and take risks without fear of negative consequences such as humiliation, punishment or discrimination. Psychological safety is a positive attribute, as it fosters an environment in which employees feel valued, respected, and able to speak up.

What is Psychosocial Risk
Psychosocial risks refer to work-related factors that may have negative effects on an employee’s mental health and well-being due to job demands like excessive workloads, time pressure, low job control, role ambiguity or conflict. Psychosocial risks may also include issues related to work-life balance, such as long work hours, job insecurity, and inadequate support for work-life balance.

Exposure to traumatic events or materials is also classed as a psychosocial hazard and can cause psychological and/or physical harm. This may result from exposure to violence, harassment, or bullying at work, critical incidents such as accidents or natural disasters.

Employers can take several steps to proactively manage psychosocial risks in the workplace. Here are some strategies:

1. Identify the risks: The first step is to identify the potential risks in the workplace through employee surveys, risk assessments, reviewing incident reports, listen to employee feedback, exposure to violence, critical incidents, or traumatic events.
2. Develop policies and procedures: Employers should develop policies and procedures that address the identified risks. This can include policies related to workload, work-life balance, workplace relationships, workplace harassment and bullying, protocols for managing critical incidents or violence prevention programs.
3. Promote a supportive work culture: Employers should foster a work environment that is psychologically safe and supportive. One that emphasises open and safe communication, collaboration, and supports employee’s ability to speak up. This can also include promoting work-life balance, providing opportunities for employee feedback, and addressing workplace stressors, and providing resources to help employees manage stress and build resilience.
4. Provide training: Employers should provide training to employees and managers on how to recognise and manage psychosocial risks, as well as on how to provide support to colleagues who may be experiencing psychological distress.
5. Ensure adequate resources: Employers should ensure that employees have adequate resources to perform their job duties, such as appropriate training, tools, and equipment.
6. Offer support and assistance: Employers should provide support and assistance to employees who are experiencing psychosocial risks. This can include access to mental health support, employee assistance programs, and other resources.
7. Monitor and evaluate: Employers should monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies to manage psychosocial risks in the workplace. This can involve regular assessments, surveys, as well as provide opportunities for employees to provide feedback and raise concerns.

By taking a proactive approach to managing psychosocial risks in the workplace, employers can create a safe and supportive work environment that supports employee well-being and productivity.

Safe Work Australia have many workplace mental health resources available on their website which are available to download free of charge.

Mental Health Support

If you or a colleague are feeling depressed, stressed or anxious there are services to help.

• Lifeline
• Beyond Blue
• Black Dog Institute
• SANE

Safety Australia Group have Safety Consultants that can help you review and implement a plan for your workplace.  Contact us today by completing the online enquiry form below:

Why Employers, Unions, Workers and Government all need to come together for one Cause, that is Work Health and Safety

I have observed over many years the tension between employers, unions, workers and government over many issues. They include typically remuneration, workplace conditions, work hours, productivity, workplace morale and business profitability to name a few.

However, for the life of me I cannot understand why work, health and safety is also targeted as an adversarial issue between the relevant workplace stakeholders.

I don’t believe any employer wants to put their workers in harm’s way or comes to work with the mindset that one of our people will be seriously injured and potentially die today. And if they do they are simply fools and should have the full force of the law come down upon them. There is no doubt that reckless conduct needs to be punished.

I say they are fools as not only will their businesses and potentially individuals be prosecuted but they will also ruin the reputation of their business and in many cases the businesses themselves will fold, exposing the numerous parties involved.

99% of the employers I talk with genuinely care for the health and safety of their workers. This doesn’t mean they always get it right. It just means that their intentions are normally good.

I have also talked with employers where one of their workers has been seriously injured or killed and they are absolutely distraught with regret and sorrow. They normally say “what could have I have done differently” or “I don’t understand why this has happened”. Sometimes they foolishly say “this has never happened in the past and I thought it just would never happen in the future”. As we know the past history of performance in any business area does not denote future business performance.

As such, my wish is that good Work, Health and Safety practices becomes a common aspiration for all key stakeholders in the workplace. It should never be used to bash one another with as other industrial relations issues are. After all, as human beings we should all care for one another to ensure all workers come home every single day to their loved ones exactly the same way they left for work that day. There is no exception to this rule. If there are people who don’t believe this they have no place in our workplaces.

So, does that mean that we should lift penalties for poor health and safety outcomes at work.

In my mind they should only be lifted for the most heinous acts of reckless behaviour.

The truth of the matter is that the employers that will pay the price if we do increase penalties are the owners of small and medium enterprises where the line of sight between the Directors of the business and the Workers involved is clear and they can be personally implicated.

In large corporations I can’t imagine the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking will ever directly be prosecuted for a Category 1 offence or even a breach of Work Health and Safety regulations when their line of sight to the workers involved is so difficult to prove.

So will Industrial Manslaughter Laws see Directors or PCBU’s of large corporations charged. I very much doubt it in all sincerity. It is much more likely that the owners of small and medium enterprises will be subjected to these charges.

So doesn’t it make sense that we stop being so damn adversarial about Work, Health and Safety and try to bring all the relevant stakeholders together with the common cause to bring every work colleague home safely again tomorrow.

Last year in Australia alone, 183 workers did not come home to their loved ones. Many hearts are broken every year and many never recover.

Isn’t this enough of a reason to bring everyone together for this one most common cause.

As I often say in presentations “ Good Safety is just Good Business”.

Workplace bullying is a risk to health and safety, and can occur in all types of workplaces.

To help support workplaces, Safe Work Australia has updated two publications on workplace bullying which will provide greater guidance for managers and workers.

The Guide for preventing and responding to workplace bullying provides employers and managers with information on how to manage the risks of workplace bullying, as part of meeting their duties under work health and safety laws.

Dealing with workplace bullying – a worker’s guide helps workers who may be experiencing or witnessing workplace bullying and also those who have had a bullying report made against them.

“The updated guides will provide managers and workers with a better understanding on how to address and minimise the risk of workplace bullying,” said Safe Work Australia CEO Michelle Baxter.

“We know the research available in this space is still growing and improving and these guides will continue to evolve as more information becomes available.”

The updated guides are the result of extensive consultation with Australian state and territory work health and safety regulators and are available on the Safe Work Australia website.

Source: Safe Work Australia, 31 August 2016[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” message_box_color=”white” icon_type=”pixelicons” css_animation=”left-to-right” css=”.vc_custom_1534311029347{border-radius: 2px !important;}” icon_pixelicons=”vc_pixel_icon vc_pixel_icon-info”]Safety Australia Group run half day Workplace Bullying & Harassment Awareness Courses. Visit our training page or call us on 1300 585 128 for more information.

   Download Half Day Bullying & Harassment Course information

Safety Australia Group can also assist with implementing a Risk Management Solution for Bullying in your workplace.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why is this still happening? That is the golden question, as invariably an accident will have a number of root causes associated with the incident.

Due to human nature being what it is, we can’t protect workers from every possible scenario that may occur in your workplace. As a business, we can however put some safety nets in place and hopefully avoid or minimise the impact in the unfortunate event that an incident occurs.

The Safety Crystal Ball

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and would most certainly be helpful in avoiding incidents. None of us have a crystal safety ball, but there are things that you can implement into your business to help protect your workers from the physical conditions and the psychosocial risks that may start appearing if the culture of the organisation is unhealthy. Conducting risk assessments, incident investigations, near misses, illness records and even safety surveys will all give you valuable clues.

For example, we don’t need our safety crystal ball to know that young workers are more likely than older workers to incur a Cut/open wound (24% of injuries) or Burns (17% of injuries) . This is known information based on data from previous injury claims, so we can use this to ensure young workers are given the appropriate training and that adequate supervision is in place. A young person is less likely to speak up if they are unsure about something, so it your responsibility as an employer to create a work environment and culture that supports questions and answers.

Naturally some working environments are higher risk but we tend to find that after working in the same place every day, it is easy to overlook different risks. The starting point in any workplace is to do a walk through risk assessment. Have a look at what activities people are doing. Stop and speak to them and ask them why they are doing something a particular way.

What are your Gaps?

Conducting a Work Health and Safety (WHS) Gap Analysis is a great way to make sure your system meets the needs of the people and processes within your organisation. It identifies strengths and opportunities for improvement in program components, development, implementation, performance, reporting, tracking, communication, and if any corrective action is required. A Gap Analysis would typically cover areas such as:

• A walkthrough of the workplace facilities and equipment;
• Evaluation of existing documentation and controls;
• Interviews and discussions with workers;
• What safety training is being conducted and how regularly; and
• Management philosophy and practices.

After assessing the potential risks in your workplace, creating a good strategy to prevent injuries is the next essential step. You must decide how likely it is an injury will occur, as well as how serious the injury could be. Evaluating the risk is essential to see if you can get rid of the hazard altogether, or simply make precautions to lower the chance of injury.

Practical solutions are sometimes all you need to do. Consulting workers on a regular basis might seem simple, but it is essential. Finding out opinions on safety matters can be a big help and can give you an insight which you might have missed, or inform you how often safety protocol is followed.

Safety Australia Group is working with companies to improve their systems and culture on a daily basis. Managing Director Robert Keft says, “We all want our family and friends to come home from work safely, and this is the main motivation behind what we do to save lives and prevent injuries from occurring in the workplace”.

Are you seated comfortably at your desk? Poor office ergonomics is the leading cause of musculoskeletal injuries, all of which are highly preventable with the correct procedures and training in place.

The most common work-related injuries (41.9%) are due to sprain and strains, as a result of occupational overuse and poor ergonomic set up.

By making some simple changes to your workstation ergonomics such as work posture; screen height, positioning of your mouse and keyboard, desk layout, lighting and how often you have breaks are just a few changes that will assist your organisation in reducing injuries.

Workstation ergonomics assessment and training can help your organisation to reduce the financial burden of time off work from injured workers and avoid increased workers compensation premiums.

Find out more about training options available by visiting our Safety Training website or contact us today.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

WHS Gap Analysis
Although there have been significant changes to workplace health & safety (WHS) laws nationally, employers who currently comply with the various health and safety laws across Australia will be well on their way to compliance with the new regulatory system.

Risk Management
Identifying hazards in the workplace and managing risk is an essential part of creating a safe work environment. Everyone has an obligation to identify and report potential hazards and adopt safe work practices in everything they do. Organisations with a good safety culture and efficient safety systems in place this becomes second nature.

Contractor management
Can be a very challenging area for organisations to manage and your obligations under Occupational Health and Safety legislation are not absolved because you have engaged the services of a contractor. It is important that contractors have a clear understanding of what is required while on site at your workplace and that they have their own robust safety policy and safety procedures in place.

Audiology Services
Noise is a major workplace health and safety hazard and under WHS legislation, workers must be protected from the risk of hearing loss. Hazardous noise can destroy the ability to hear clearly, making it more difficult to hear sounds necessary for working safely such as instructions or warning signals.