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Part 3 – Step 2: Assess risks

Part 3 of the Psychological health compliance code has 4 steps. Step 2 of the risk management process explains when and how to do a risk assessment.

This is page 5 in a series of 11 that comprise the Psychological health compliance code. You must read the whole Code so that you understand how to meet your deemed compliance obligations.

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This is page 5 in a series of 11 that comprise the Psychological health compliance code. You must read the whole Code so that you understand how to meet your deemed compliance obligations.

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Step 2: Assess risks

  1. A psychosocial risk assessment involves examining psychosocial hazards to assess how, and to what extent, they create a risk to the health or safety of employees. This will help employers to determine the seriousness of the risk, by considering both the:
    • likelihood of harm occurring
    • consequences for affected employees and others.
  2. Employers should also consider:
    • how multiple psychosocial hazards might interact
    • which employees are most at risk
    • how the hazards are likely to affect these employees
    • if risks are organisation-wide or apply to specific:
      • employees or groups of employees
      • work tasks
      • workplaces.
  3. Current knowledge and understanding about the risk and how to control it may already exist. However, employers should carry out a risk assessment when:
    • it is not clear if the psychosocial hazard may result in harm
    • it is not clear how hazards may interact to produce new, different or more significant harm
    • the existing risk controls are not effective
    • there are changes planned that may affect existing risk controls.
  4. The state of knowledge for psychosocial hazards is continuing to evolve. Employers need to take reasonable steps to ensure their knowledge about the psychosocial hazards identified is current. The matters to consider when determining what is reasonably practicable includes what an employer knows, or ought reasonably to know, about hazards, risks and ways to eliminate or reduce them.
  5. It is important that those doing the risk assessment have:
    • information about the working environment and work processes
    • knowledge and understanding of potential psychosocial hazards and risk factors
    • knowledge and understanding about how to analyse evidence to consider risks and appropriate controls.
  6. If those doing the risk assessment do not have this knowledge and understanding, employers should source appropriate training or assistance from a subject matter expert. Any training or subject matter expertise must be provided, so far as is reasonably practicable, by people who are suitably qualified in OHS. <OHS Act s22(2)(b)>
  7. Risk assessments must involve consultation with employees and any HSRs, so far as is reasonably practicable. Risk assessments should:
    • include data collection; for example, using workplace data and information from:
      • focus groups
      • interviews
      • de-identified validated surveys
    • cite the evidence used.

Doing a risk assessment

  1. When assessing risks associated with psychosocial hazards, consider the following questions:
    • What is the likelihood of exposure to the psychosocial hazard?
      • Could the exposure happen as a single episode (for example, a client hitting an employee)? Or could the exposure accumulate over time (for example, repeated exposure to high job demands, physical assaults or abusive comments)?
    • What is the duration and frequency of exposure to the psychosocial hazard?
      • How often are employees exposed to the hazard (for example, daily, at peak times or when a certain task is done)?
      • For how long are employees exposed at any one time (for example, 2 weeks of overtime at the annual peak demand or an hour during each shift)? Exposure for a short duration may still be harmful (for example, being exposed to a traumatic incident).
    • How severe are the consequences if employees are exposed? What degree of harm could employees experience? For example, this could range from short-term fatigue to a permanent injury.
    • Are some employees more likely to:
      • be exposed (for example, employees in customer-facing roles)?
      • experience more severe consequences (for example, employees who are regularly exposed to traumatic incidents or are more vulnerable to harm, such as young employees)?
  2. The size and nature of an organisation is relevant when assessing risk. Employers should consider whether:
    • a single risk assessment is sufficient to assess hazards that are common to all areas of an organisation
    • multiple risk assessments are needed. These may be appropriate where psychosocial hazards are specific to work areas (for example, teams, locations or designated work groups).
  3. Assessing risks is not a one-off action but should be part of a continuous improvement process.
  4. A prevention plan template is available to help guide the risk assessment process.

Factors that increase risk

  1. When assessing risk, it is crucial to focus the most effort on psychosocial hazards that are likely to cause the most harm to employees. These could include:
    • Where employees are exposed to the hazard for extended or prolonged periods.
    • Where employees experience intense exposure to the hazard.
    • Where employees are frequently exposed to the hazard.
    • Where the risk is less likely to eventuate, but if it did the consequences would be very serious or catastrophic.
  2. Risk assessments need to consider interacting psychosocial hazards together rather than in isolation. Employees may be exposed to multiple psychosocial hazards at the same time, and it is likely that these hazards will interact. The more psychosocial hazards that are present, the more likely it is that harm will occur.

    For example, the combined effect of high job demands, low job control and poor support increases the likelihood and severity of harm.
  3. Employers need to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that their risk management process also considers any additional risk factors. These are factors that could put certain employees, or groups of employees, at greater risk of harm. Factors to consider might include:
    • new employees
    • young employees
    • migrant workers
    • if known, employees who have a pre-existing disability, injury or illness
    • employees who have known previous exposure to a traumatic event
    • employees in insecure work; for example, casual and seasonal employees or those on fixed-term contracts
    • employees who may be exposed to multiple forms of discrimination that can combine or intersect to increase their risk of harm; for example, race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality, literacy
    • barriers to understanding safety information, such as language or literacy challenges
    • employees who are exposed to multiple or repeated psychosocial hazards
    • external factors that influence and contribute to the working environment.
  4. As part of the risk management process, employers must consult with employees and any HSRs to identify and assess risks that do, or are likely to, affect particular groups, so far as is reasonably practicable. <OHS Act s35> Employers must take employee views into account when deciding on risk controls. <OHS Act s35(3)(c)>

This is page 5 in a series of 11 that comprise the Psychological health compliance code. You must read the whole Code so that you understand how to meet your deemed compliance obligations.

Next page

This is page 5 in a series of 11 that comprise the Psychological health compliance code. You must read the whole Code so that you understand how to meet your deemed compliance obligations.

Previous page