Matthew Bell’s Post

Great insights from my colleagues Karen Mealmaker and Samantha Thomas on some of the most common pitfalls organisations face when seeking to understand their psychosocial hazards and how to avoid them. If you are looking to assess the impact of psychosocial hazards on your people and/or design targeted strategies to prevent psychosocial hazards from impacting your workforce, it's worth a read!

I must admit that I was one of the many WHS professionals that often uttered the phrase "treat psychosocial risk like any other risk". But the last 12 months of helping our clients with their psychosocial challenges has shown us that there are many pitfalls to this thinking. Yes, psychosocial risks need to be systematically identified, assessed, controlled, monitored, and reviewed, similar to all other risks. But psychosocial risks are a lot more complex than traditional physical risks, particularly when it comes to understanding consequences (these can differ team to team, person to person) and identifying controls that will eliminate/minimise the risks SFARP. Karen and Samantha discuss some of these pitfalls and how to avoid them.

The mental health crisis is a pressing issue in Australia, and workplaces are not immune. Psychosocial hazards are insidious; they can erode employee morale, hinder innovation, and damage your company's reputation. By neglecting this critical area, organisations risk facing lawsuits, increased insurance premiums, and a toxic work culture. A mentally healthy workforce is a high-performing workforce. Our webinar series will guide you through the steps to build a resilient, supportive, and psychologically safe workplace. Don't let your competitors gain a competitive edge. It's time to prioritise psychosocial risk management. #pyschosocial #mentalhealth

One of the primary reasons why "workers may talk about their exposure to psychosocial hazards in different ways" is the reality that #psychosocialhazards are factors at work that are perceived or experienced as a threat to the person exposed that, in turn, affect their behavior. To meet the definition, both of the following are required: 1. A perception of a workplace factor as threatening by the exposed person driven either by their current understanding or a previous experience of threat that caused hurt or trauma in the past. 2. The exposed person's assessment of the current threat motivates them to change their behavior to minimize or eliminate the psychosocial risk from the hazard. The bottom line is that unlike physical hazards, which tend to have similar, if not in some cases identical, characteristics and effects on humans that are exposed in the same ways, psychosocial hazards affect people very differently from their very existence through the harm the exposed person may experience. I've written about this concept in a new book, #psychosocialhazardsarereal. The pre-sale campaign allows those who would like to do so to reserve a signed copy, a ticket to my book launch event, and access to my author community. You can access the campaign at https://lnkd.in/ebF47a7Q until October 14th only. Don't miss out! Also, don't forget to listen to the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast each week for conversations about #psychologicalhealthandsafety from an occupational health and safety perspective. #psychosocialhazardsarereal #workplacementalhealth ID2 Solutions

What active strategies have you put in place within your business to manage psychosocial hazards within the workplace?

As week 2 of National #SafeWorkMonth comes to an end, we’d like to highlight some key points about managing #PsychosocialHazards. 🧠 Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work that can cause psychological and physical harm. 🗣️ Recognise the signs: workers may talk about their exposure to psychosocial hazards in different ways. 🫂 Managing psychosocial risks benefits everyone in the workplace. 📝 Remember - safety is everyone’s business when it comes to managing psychosocial risks. These duties are set out in the model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work. Stay tuned as next week we’ll be looking at risk management fundamentals as our third National #SafeWorkMonth topic. 👀 #SafetyIsOurBusiness

Looking forward to attending this seminar on psychosocial safety hazards and gaining valuable insights to enhance workplace well-being!

"Consultation is key". 💡 In part one of our webinar series on navigating psychosocial risk management, Mark Oostergo and Katherine Morris shared foundational advice on the importance of comprehensive risk assessments that actively involve employee consultation. Join Mark, Katherine and Nathan Halliday for the second webinar, all about implementing effective controls, next Tuesday, September 10th, 12pm - 1pm AEST. They'll discuss: ✅ Analysing current case law outcomes to inform the implementation of controls. ✅ Moving beyond task-based thinking: Addressing the entire psychosocial process. ✅ Incorporating trauma-informed and person-centred approaches in incident investigation. ✅ The necessity of evidence-based controls: What works and why? Sign up here to watch the second instalment and be sent webinar one to watch on demand: https://lnkd.in/gWbNkbUb Australian Psychological Services

Understanding psychosocial hazards is key to creating safer, healthier workplaces. Safe Work Australia have resources and tools to help businesses address these risks proactively. If you'd like to discuss how to address psychosocial hazards and build a psychologically safe organisation, feel free to reach out. #SafeWorkMonth #PsychosocialHazards #WorkplaceSafety

In the Construction Industry this is something we are faced with on a daily basis as workers. When will PCBU's take responsibility and recognise this is not only a real issue but a recognised ACT that they must be adhere to or workers can take the issue further outside of the work area? It's time PCBU's step up and mitigate these issues with education (for themselves and their workers) prior rather then a reaction (or lack there of) when an incident occurs.