Safe Work Australia has made amendments to the model WHS laws based on recommendations from Marie Boland’s independent review of the legislation in 2018. The Boland review highlighted the lack of requirement for companies to identify, mitigate and report psychosocial risks within the workplace, with Ms Boland stating that ”…there is a widespread view that psychological health is neglected in the model WHS Regulations and Codes… and the feedback from small businesses in particular was that they wanted more prescription and practical guidance to help them identify and manage psychosocial risks and hazards.” Safe Work Australia has implemented 20 of the 34 recommendations by the Boland report, effective from the 1st of July, 2022. Employers should be aware that the adoption of the new amendments is at the discretion of the states and territories, so there may be no immediate legal requirements within your jurisdiction.
So what are the new changes, and how might they affect your company?
The amendments define psychosocial hazard and psychosocial risks, and require employers to manage psychosocial risk in accordance with risk management principles. They allow any inspector to issue notice to produce documents and reports from a workplace within 30 days of an inspection, (even if a physical inspection has not taken place), and require workplaces to provide incident reports every 6 months. The amendments allow pecuniary fines for breaches of the act and prohibits insurance for fines implemented on a person under the WHS model act. The amendments also allow the sharing of information between regulators. The full list of amendments is available on the Safe Work Australia website.
The new recommendations are a positive step in the recognition of the importance of psychological safety within the workplace. With over thirty years of experience, Carfi is able to assist organisations with ensuring that psychological safety and wellbeing is not only maintained, but actively championed. Carfi has developed a specialised Psychosocial Risk Survey that allows our team of experienced psychologists to identify psychosocial hazards within your workplace, and implement policies that mitigate these risks to ensure the mental wellbeing of your employees.
For further information on Carfi’s Psychosocial Risk Survey, contact us on 1300 737 403 to speak to one of our helpful staff.
