Psychosocial Hazards

Topic key points 

• A psychosocial hazard is a hazard that may cause psychological harm and arises from, or relates to:  
• the design or management of work  
• a work environment  
• plant at a workplace  
• workplace interactions or behaviours.  
• Psychosocial risk is inherent to every workplace, every job and every worker, however the amount of required risk management will vary between businesses and individual jobs.  
• From a coaching perspective, clients can greatly benefit from our knowledge of psychosocial hazards, our ability to reflect on differing perspectives and probe blind spots, our ability to empower clients to achieve organisational buy-in, and how to predict the implications personal/professional changes can have for psychosocial risk (and visa versa).  

Introduction to Topic 

A psychosocial hazard is a hazard that may cause psychological harm and arises from, or relates to:  

• the design or management of work  
• a work environment  
• plant at a workplace  
• workplace interactions or behaviours.  

Psychosocial hazards at work are aspects of work and situations that may cause a stress response which in turn can lead to psychological or physical harm. Some common psychosocial hazards include:  

• role overload (high workloads or job demands)  

• role underload (low workloads or job demands)  
• exposure to traumatic events  
• remote or isolated work  
• harassment, including sexual harassment.  

In working out what control measures to use, clients should have regard to all relevant things in their workplace, including:  

• the length and severity of psychosocial hazards, and how frequently workers and other persons are exposed to them  
• the design of work, including job demands and tasks  
• the systems of work, including how work is managed, organised and supported  
• the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of the workplace, including provision of:  

• safe means of entering and exiting the workplace, and  
• facilities for the welfare of workers, for example, accessibility to toilets and drinking water  

• the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of workers’ accommodation, for example, does the workers’ accommodation consider extreme temperatures, personal privacy/amenities, does the design prevent or inhibit aggressive or violent behaviour?  
• the plant, substances and structures at the workplace, for example, the provision of personal protective equipment  
• workplace interactions or behaviours  
• the information training, instruction and supervision provided to workers.   

Process Considerations 

• Approaching this responsibility can be a stressful experience for clients due to the legislative nature of psychosocial risk, and past/ongoing experience with workers compensation claims. It can be occasionally appropriate to remind clients of our role as coaches and advisors and not as regulators. 
• Due to our knowledge and experience with psychosocial hazards and the NSW Work, Health & Safety Act, clients may ask for legal advice. It’s important to communicate that we do not provide legal advice but can instead provide advice which reflects the knowledge and processes outlined in the Code of Practice.  

Resources on this page 

• SafeWork NSW Code of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards 

• The People at Work psychosocial risk assessment tool  

• SafeWork Australia principles of good work design   
• People at Work guide to control measures

• People at Work Common Psychosocial Hazards 

Copy for Clients   

As discussed in session, a psychosocial risk is a risk to the health and safety of a worker or other person arising from a psychosocial hazard. Managing the risk is a process of identifying hazards and how they interact with individuals to cause psychological harm, and overall risk exposure. Gaining leadership support, implementing control measures, and reviewing their effectiveness is key to reducing and minimising risk, which is the overall responsibility of business leaders. Attached are some resources that can help you get started on understanding your legislative requirements and psychosocial risk. As always, reach out if you run into any barriers or have any questions.