Click here for instructions on How to Print a Web Page

Psychosocial Health

Psychosocial Health


Potential hazards include, but are not limited to:

  • Cognitive job demands
  • Time Pressure and Role Overload
  • Physically Demanding Work
  • Challenging Work Hours or Shift Work
  • Low job control
  • Low role clarity
  • Exposure to traumatic events
  • Poor management / supervisor support
  • Poor co-worker support
  • Poor workplace relationships incl. bullying, aggression, harassment, discrimination
  • Poor workplace change management
  • Low recognition and reward
  • Poor environmental conditions
  • Remote or isolated work
  • Violence and aggression
  • Poor workplace culture


References


Definitions


Psychosocial hazards - are hazards that may cause psychological and physical harm and arise from or relate to, the design or management of work, the working environment, plant at a workplace or workplace interactions or behaviours.


Psychosocial risk - combination of the likelihood of occurrence of exposure to work-related hazard(s) of a psychosocial nature and the severity of injury and ill-health that can be caused by these hazards.


Perinatal – is the period of time when you become pregnant and up to a year after giving birth.


Leadership and Worker Participation


Leadership and Commitment:

  • Leaders at all levels demonstrate visible leadership and proactive commitment to managing psychosocial risk and promoting well-being.
  • Clear policies are established including health and safety, workplace behavior, workplace bullying, diversity and inclusion, parental leave, injury management and rehabilitation, and family & domestic violence and are reviewed periodically.
  • Clear expectations of all employees are established through the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the Code) , and processes are implemented for annual recertification of understanding and compliance.
  • An employee assistance program and well-being offerings are provided to all employees and their families.
  • Trained Mental Health First Aiders are deployed to provide support to colleagues experiencing mental health issues.
  • A transitioning well coaching program is available to support parents transitioning from "working person" to "working parent."
  • Planning and conversation toolkits are available for new parents and their managers.
  • Participation in industry research such as the Perinatal Workplace Wellbeing Program (PWWP) which aims to promote and protect the mental health and well-being of new and expectant parents is undertaken.
  • A clear strategy is in place to advance diversity and inclusion, including gender equality, through inclusive practices, support for women's careers, and industry-level efforts to attract and retain women.


Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities:

  • Roles, responsibilities, authorities, and accountability are clearly defined in position descriptions and management system documentation.
  • Tasks are assigned to workers based on their knowledge, skills, and experience with regular reviews and modifications.
  • Management structures and reporting lines within teams are established for workers to know who they are accountable to (either overall or for tasks) and where they can go for help.


Consultation and Communication:

  • Consultative arrangements are developed to provide workers, contractors, and external stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute to health and safety decision-making and improve the processes to manage psychosocial risk.
  • Workers are given the opportunity to discuss their needs for flexible working arrangements ranging from different site rosters (e.g., “flex days" and rotating Saturdays), early/late start and finish times, job redesign, and working remotely additional purchased leave that best supports the team.
  • Collaborative working relationships and open communication are created for all contractors and stakeholders such that they are kept informed of our planning and delivery processes by inviting them to team meetings, peer review processes, pre-planning groups, high-risk workshops, and design workshops.
  • Management strives to maintain an open culture that encourages effective communication between the workforce and management.
  • Information on psychosocial risk and controls is communicated utilising a variety of communication methods incl. meetings, reports, alerts, presentations, email messages, training, inductions, website, intranet, and social media postings, and newsletters, considering the audience, nature of the communication, timeliness, cost, and any regulatory requirements.
  • Clear allocation of responsibility and accountability is assigned to personnel assigned for implementing and communicating changes or who may be affected, incl. external stakeholders through meetings, pre-starts, consultative committees, reports, alerts, presentations, emails, inductions, newsletters, collaboration tools, etc.


Planning


  • Risks and opportunities relating to psychosocial hazards are identified, assessed, and evaluated through formal and informal processes, including employee listening methods, business planning workshops, executive meetings, project risk workshops, task analysis, consulting with workers and other interested parties, workplace inspections, and reviewing relevant information.
  • Drawing from project requirements, resources, and skills are planned to place the right people on the right jobs from the very beginning by leveraging the data such as those maintained on our HR Information System – Workday
  • Sufficient supervision is made available so workers can reach out for support to deal with challenging situations.
  • Adequate backfilling of roles or redistribution of work is undertaken when workers are out of the office or away on leave. If overtime is necessary, this is planned so that workers can schedule their activities around it.


Competence:

  • A competency framework as part of the performance and development planning process, is established that provides a tool that workers and managers can use to identify their development areas against both technical and leadership competencies
  • A performance management program is provided that includes annual performance agreements, goal-setting discussions, mid-year and end-of-year reviews, regular feedback, and just-in-time training for effective conversations and development planning.
  • A comprehensive talent management approach is implemented to equip and empower employees by regularly reviewing their performance and potential, taking talent management actions, evolving the organizational culture, and attracting, developing, and retaining top talent.
  • Effective learning and development programs and systems are provided via the Multiplex Academy to support workers to acquire and maintain the necessary competence and continue to learn and grow. 


Operation


  • Physical workplace features are provided to protect workers from hazards (e.g., noise, lighting, vibration, temperature, chemicals).
  • Appropriate equipment for performing the work (e.g., manual handling equipment) is provided, maintained, and improved where necessary along with providing and requiring the appropriate and effective use of personal protective equipment.


Procurement and Contracting:

  • Contractors including subcontractors, suppliers, and consultants are selected and appointed following established procedures for Contractor Management, Tendering Subcontracts, and Letting of Agreements which includes:
  • Contractor evaluation prior to contractual arrangements being established, considering the capacity to deliver projects of similar complexity and size and current resources to service the project scope
  • Structured interviews and/or workshops being conducted throughout the tender period to clarify the contract scope, exclusions, qualifications, and resources.
  • Detailed scope of works being developed for contractors that outlines clearly what is required of them.
  • Well organised programmed and sequenced works, which enables contractors to adequately manage their workforce.
  • Standards of business conduct being established through the relevant deeds and agreements.
  • Performance of contractors and their compliance with the obligations specified in their contracts, are monitored and reported.


Emergency Preparedness and Response:

  • Appropriate specialists are engaged where required to respond to emergency and crisis situations to manage psychosocial risks and provide support as necessary. Refer to Crisis Management and Business Continuity Management Plans.


Issue and Dispute Resolution:

  • Issues and disputes will be resolved within a consultative framework involving the site WHS committee, WHS representatives, management, or other interested parties in accordance with the dispute resolution procedure outlined in the Project induction handout.


Performance Evaluation


  • Internal and external monitoring activities, such as Employee Experience Surveys, Exit Interviews, Pulse Check Surveys, meetings, and observations, are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial controls, drive continuous improvement, and gather feedback on employee engagement and overall experience.
  • Continuous feedback, data, and input from workers are gathered throughout their employment journey, including performance evaluations, development planning, talent, and succession processes, 360-degree feedback surveys for leaders, learning programs in the Multiplex Academy, and insights from third-party consultants like Employee Assistance Program, Outplacement, and Health Check providers.
  • Rewards that reinforce teamwork (e.g., a team dinner, outing, team building activities), equitable and accessible to all team members that contributed to the project or task are provided.


Reporting


  • Confidentiality of information with respect to a worker and a worker’s experience of psychosocial risks is maintained.
  • Separate communication channels, such as an ethics hotline, are in place and serve as a fail-safe mechanism to enable anonymous or confidential reporting when other channels are inoperative or ineffective.
  • Any complaints received about aggression or violence, bullying, or sexual harassment are reported, recorded, where required investigated, and reported to the regulator.


Legal and Other Requirements


NSW

Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017

Code of Practice for Managing psychosocial hazards at work

Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation


ACT

Work Health and Safety (How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice).


Victoria

Proposed OHS Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulations


South Australia

How to manage work health and safety risks - Code of Practice.


Western Australia

Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022

Mental Health Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2022

Code of Practice - Psychosocial hazards in the workplace

Code of Practice - Violence and aggression at work

Code of Practice - Workplace behaviour


Queensland

Work Health and Safety (Psychological Risks) Amendment Regulation 2022

Code of Practice – Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work


Australia

Model Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work (Code of Practice).

ISO 45003: International standard for managing psychosocial risk at wor


Document Control


Version 1 - November 2023

Share by: