Psychosocial risk – Jason Mavrikis, WHS Advisor at South Australian Government

1. Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) – Adelaide Symposium
Psychosocial risk management
Jason Mavrikis - Education & Engagement Advisor
SafeWork SA – Education Team

2. Acknowledgment of country
We acknowledge and respect Aboriginal peoples as the state's first peoples and nations and
recognise them as traditional owners and occupants of land and waters in South Australia.
Further, we acknowledge that the spiritual, social, cultural and economic practices of
Aboriginal peoples come from their traditional lands and waters, that they maintain their
cultural and heritage beliefs, languages and laws which are of ongoing importance, and that
they have made and continue to make a unique and irreplaceable contribution to the state.

3. SafeWork SA’s Mission:
Making South Australian workplaces safe
Provide advice
and education on
work health and
safety
Issue licences
and registration
for workers and
plant
Investigate
workplace
incidents
Enforce the
Work Health and
Safety Laws in
South Australia
SafeWork SA is South Australia's workplace health and safety regulator

4.  In May 2021, Australia’s WHS ministers agreed to amend the
model WHS Regulations to prescribe control measures for psychological risks
 In April 2022, SafeWork Australia released an update to the model WHS regulations,
which now define psychosocial hazards, psychosocial risk, and provide a list of
matters that must be considered when implementing control measures
 In July 2022, SafeWork Australia released the model Code of Practice for Managing
Psychosocial Hazards at Work
 The psychosocial regulations will come into effect in SA on 25 December 2023.
 An Approved Code of Practice is not forthcoming – the model code is available.
Setting the scene…Why is this relevant to me?

5. A quick recap of the WHS Framework
5
WHS Act
WHS Regulations
SA Approved Codes of Practice
- National Codes of Practice
Australian Standards
Guidance materials / information sheets etc.
= Work Health and Safety (Psychosocial Risks) Amendment
Regulations 2023
Examples of SWSA
guidance:
• Psych Health for Small
Business
• Psychosocial risk
assessment tool
• How to examine and
interrogate data
• Focus Group guide
Model Codes of Practice are practical guides to
achieving the standards of health and safety
required under the model WHS Act and
Regulations.
To have legal effect in a jurisdiction, a model
Code of Practice must be approved as a code
of practice there.

6. Who has duties?
Duty of Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking
Manage risk to workers Manage risk to other persons
Duty of Workers
Take reasonable care with
respect to their own health
and safety
Take reasonable care with
respect to the health and
safety of others
Follow the reasonable directions
of the persons conducting the
business or undertaking
Under the Work Health
and Safety (Industrial
Manslaughter)
Amendment Bill,
individuals can face a
maximum penalty of
20 years
imprisonment, and $18
million for companies,
if they are reckless or
grossly negligent in
conduct which
breaches a work
health and safety duty
and results in the
death of another
person.

7. What are psychosocial hazards and risks?

8. Plant at a
workplace
Workplace
interactions
and
behaviours
Work
environment
Psychosocial hazards arising
from or relating to:
Design or
management
of work
Stress
response
When frequent, prolonged or
severe
Psychological
harm
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Burnout
• Post traumatic stress
disorder
Physical harm
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Musculoskeletal disorders
Figure 1. Model of work-related stress

9. Psychosocial hazards
Hazard
Poor workplace relationships
Work pressure – high or low, work patterns
Poor support and job control
Poor organisational justice and change mgmt
Low role clarity
Inadequate recognition and reward
Poor environment conditions
Harmful workplace behaviours
Remote / isolated work and fatigue
Violent or traumatic events
Potential harm
Depression, anxiety, MSDs,
cardiovascular ill-health
Absenteeism, presenteeism

10. Four steps to prevention - overview of the
process to manage psychosocial risks
Manage workplace risks to psychological
health as you would for physical health
and safety
Step 1: Identify the hazards
Step 2: Assess the risks
Step 3: Control the risks
Step 4: Review
Do this in consultation with workers
Image from Model Code of Practice Managing Psychosocial
Hazards at Work 2022

11. Conviction over Bullying of Apprentice

12.  Workplace bullying is the symptom of
organisational dysfunction not the disease to
be treated
 Bullying arises primarily from ‘stress’ in the
organisational system
 Bullying is underpinned by power dynamics
 Individual factors play a role, but are not the
major contributors
12
Workplace bullying - A systems issue
Tuckey, M.R., Li, Y. Chen, P.Y., Dollard, M.F., McLinton, S., Rogers, A.,
& Neall, A.M. (2015). Prevention of workplace bullying through risk
assessment: Final project report. Adelaide, Australia: Asia Pacific Centre
for Work Health and Safety. DOI: 10.4225/50/5759F7C5354D5. Retrieved
from: http://apo.org.au/node/64434
Prevention of workplace bullying through risk assessment – Tuckey et al.

13. Psychosocial hazards identification activity

14. Small group activity
• Each group has a different image of a workplace in a
specific industry or an occupation.
• Based on your experience and knowledge of that
industry or occupation, discuss any psychosocial
hazards that MAY be present in that workplace.
• Referring to the hierarchy of controls, discuss the
types of psychosocial risk control measures that you
would implement in this workplace.
• List the top 3 psychosocial hazards you have
identified in that industry and what you’re going to do
to control the corresponding risk 

15. Controlling psychosocial risk
Psychosocial hierarchy of controls

16. Controlling psychosocial risk
Traditional hierarchy of controls
Figure 1 – Hierarchy of risk
controls (taken from the ACOP
on How to Manage WHS Risks)

17. Example scenario – Medium size construction company
Scenario
• Several projects on the go,
with backlog of work
• Manager responsible for
contractors, apprentices,
ensuring supplies/equipment
are delivered to sites
• An electrical sub-contractor
is engaged for all sites. The
manager aware an
electrician has been verbally
aggressive with 1st year
apprentice. He tells
apprentice this is the
industry, no time to deal with
this and to toughen up
• Apprentice making mistakes,
afraid to ask for help and
wants aggression to stop
17
Psychosocial hazards
• Poor emotional and
practical supervisor and
manager support – manager
does not acknowledge and
address apprentice
concerns
• Occupational violence and
poor workplace
relationships – verbal
aggressions by the
electrician
• Low job control – the
apprentice has little say in
his work
• Role overload demands –
the manager and workers
experience a high workload
with competing demands
Psychosocial controls
The business owner:
• Meets with electrical subcontractor
to develop behaviour standards
• Informs workers aggressive
behaviour can be reported directly to
him
• Speaks with apprentice to check in
on wellbeing, offer support services
• Reviews supervision and support of
apprentices
• Reduces demands on manager by
providing assistance with managing
contracts and tenders
The manager:
• Starts daily toolbox talks
• Sets time aside each week to
understand 1st year apprentice
needs, assigns 3rd year buddy

18. 18
Overview of the psychosocial risk management process
 Step 1 - Identify the organisational, and environmental, psychosocial hazards via:
 Interrogation of workplace data, direct observation (e.g., respectful communication amongst
workers, conflict and signs of distress), workplace safe systems of work (e.g., policies and
procedures developed in consultation with workers, training on respectful behaviour, and
reporting mechanisms)
 Step 2 - Assess and prioritise risk – consider the duties/task elements, consequences
(possible injury outcomes), injury risk potential (likelihood x consequences) and action
required
 Step 3 - Establish a psychosocial risk management plan that considers risk priority, risk
factors to be considered, cause, existing controls, additional controls to be implemented,
person responsible, review date, and sign off upon completion
 Step 4 - Review the effectiveness of the controls by establishing an implementation plan that
considers existing control measures in place, are the control eliminating or minimising risk to
an acceptable residual risk level(?), remaining risk needing further attention, and evidence of
consultations with key stakeholders (e.g., workers and other persons).
Consult throughout!!! 

19.  Psychological health for small business (SafeWork SA)
– Provides practical suggestions on the ‘do(s)’ and ‘don’t(s)’ on ‘how’ to control the risks associated with
each organisation’s psychological hazard.
 Psychosocial risk assessment tool – (SafeWork SA)
– This risk assessment tool is designed to help employers meet their legal obligations to manage risks
associated with psychological injury
 How to examine and interrogate workplace data – (SafeWork SA)
– Data can help to identify and assess potential psychosocial hazards. Sources of data can vary
depending on the size of your organisation. The data source table below will help you identify some that
may be available to your organisation.
 Focus group guide
– Focus groups can help you identify and analyse emerging psychosocial hazards and inform future
planning identified in the risk assessment process. They’re ideal for consulting with workers and enable
the collection of meaningful data on people’s perceptions of their work environment.
 People at Work psychosocial risk assessment tool (state/territory WHS regulators)
– A validated survey-based measurement tool that aims to help organisations identify and manage
psychosocial risk.
19
Psychological health – tools and resources

20. Safe Work Australia - guidance
• SWA Model Code of Practice Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (July 2022)
• SWA Infographic: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work
• SWA Infographic: What psychosocial hazards sound like
• Guidance material on specific hazards includes…
– Guide for preventing and responding to workplace bullying & worker’s guide (2016)
– Preventing workplace sexual harassment guide (Jan, 2021)
– Preventing workplace violence and aggression guide (Jan, 2021)
• Information sheet Family and domestic violence at the workplace

21.  Treat psychosocial risks, including s-xual harassment,
like any other WHS risk
 Review your existing WHS systems
 Consult, consult and consult some more!
 Maintain up-to-date knowledge
 Ask questions about culture
 Be proactive
 Officers must engage
 Review your HR framework
 Think outside of the box
 Do not ‘set and forget’
What should organisations do now?...

22. Contact Us
1300 365 255
www.safework.sa.gov.awww.safework.sa.gov.au/freeadvice
Questions?