Workplace mental health

Mental (psychological) health, just like physical health, is an important part of work health and safety (WHS).

Recognising and managing psychosocial hazards and risks at work is essential to create and maintain a safe, healthy and productive workplace.

Under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (the WHS Act), a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has a legal responsibility to manage psychosocial hazards and risks in the workplace.

On 1 July 2023, new regulations on psychosocial hazards have commenced, clarifying this existing duty to better assist PCBUs in identifying and controlling such hazards and risks.

Psychosocial hazards

Psychosocial hazards are anything at work that may cause psychological or physical harm. They arise from or relate to:

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

Psychosocial hazards are often overlooked as they may not be as obvious as other workplace hazards. Common psychosocial hazards at work include:

  • These are job demands that require sustained high or low levels of physical, mental or emotional effort. A job can include periods of high and low demands, and can also involve a combination of high or low physical, mental and emotional demands.

  • Low job control means workers have little control or say over the work or aspects of the work including how or when the job is done.

  • Poor support refers to insufficient support workers receive from their supervisors or colleagues. It means not having the resources they need to do the job or support work performance.

  • Workers may be exposed to this hazard through witnessing, investigating or being exposed to traumatic events or material. An event is more likely to be traumatic when it is unexpected, is perceived as uncontrollable or is the result of intentional cruelty.

  • Remote or isolated work means work that is isolated from the assistance of others due to the location, time or nature of the work. This often involves long travel times, poor access to resources, or limited and difficult communications.

  • There is lack of role clarity when workers are not clear about their responsibilities and what is expected of them. This may happen if their roles keep on changing and they’re not given the right job information.

  • Poor organisational change management means changes in the workplace are poorly planned, communicated, supported or managed.

  • Inadequate recognition and reward is when there is an imbalance between workers’ effort and the recognition or rewards they get in return, whether formal or informal.

  • Poor organisational justice is present in a workplace where there is a lack of procedural justice (fair decision-making processes), informational fairness (keeping everyone informed) or interpersonal fairness (treating everyone with dignity and respect).

  • Poor physical environment means workers are exposed to unpleasant, poor quality or hazardous working environments or conditions.

  • Harmful behaviours can harm the person they are directed at and anyone witnessing the behaviour. These include:

    • violence and aggression
    • bullying
    • harassment including sexual harassment or gender-based harassment, and
    • conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions.

How psychosocial hazards cause harm

Workers exposed to psychosocial hazards at work can be at risk of developing stress. Stress is the physical, mental and emotional reactions that occur when a worker perceives the demands of their work exceed their ability or resources to cope.

Most jobs involve some degree of stress, however when the worker feels they are unable to cope with repeated stressors or there are no support mechanisms to manage the situation, stress can manifest in ways that can be detrimental to the worker and the business.

Stress in itself is not an illness or injury, but it can cause psychological and physical harm if it becomes frequent, prolonged or severe.

Workers who are stressed have a higher risk of developing psychological injuries such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disorders.

They may also be at risk of sustaining physical injuries such as musculoskeletal injury, chronic disease and fatigue-related injuries as a result of these psychological injuries.

On average, work-related psychological injuries have longer recovery times, higher costs, and require more time away from work. For the 2021/2022 period, 12.6% of all workers’ compensation claims across all industry sectors in the Northern Territory were for psychological injuries.

Psychosocial hazards can also cause disruptions associated with staff turnover and absenteeism which can negatively impact organisational performance and productivity.

Managing psychosocial hazards at work

Psychosocial hazards and the appropriate control measures may vary between workplaces and between groups of workers, depending on the work environment, organisational context and the nature of work.

Just as for any other hazards, the risk management process can be used to eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks. This consists of the following steps:

  • This involves identifying the aspects of work and situations that may harm workers or others at the workplace and why these may be occurring. This step should also assist in identifying where and when workers are exposed to psychosocial hazards, and if controls are not adequately eliminating or minimising risks from known hazards.

  • A risk assessment can help determine how severe risks are, and therefore what is reasonably practicable in managing the risks. To assess the risk of harm, the workers affected must be identified and the duration, frequency and severity of their exposure must be considered.

  • This means using the hierarchy of control measures to determine and implement the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances and ensuring they remain effective over time.

  • This step aims to ensure control measures are working as planned. A control measure that is not working effectively must be reviewed and modified or replaced.

Under the WHS Act, everyone at a workplace has a role in managing psychosocial hazards and risks. See PCBU duties and Worker duties to know more about your legal responsibilities.

More information on how to manage psychosocial hazards and risks can be found in the model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work.