Australian workplaces have come a long way in their approach to and management of psychological safety and mental health in the workplace. However there is still a long way to go. When it comes to psychological injuries and claims in workplaces, we know that incident notifications and claims are increasing and that:
- Workplace bullying and harassment claims now make up a large portion of psychological injury claims
- Across Australia psychological injury claims are rising at approx. 10% a year
- Claims cost are approx. 5 times for more than physical injury claims, and that
- Lost time for psychological claims is just over 30 weeks compared to approx. 6 weeks for a physical injury claim.
This is not just a “safety team” issue. HR and Risk teams play a critical role in collaborating with WHS to ensure a risk managed approach is implemented, and that a workplace culture is built that enables & supports meaningful collaboration and consultation in the management of this risk.
What are our Regulators Saying?
All of our safety regulators, including the mining regulator, have psychological safety on their priority list:
- SafeWork NSW just announced their 2026-27 priorities which includes psychological hazards
- NSW Resources Regulator published their Psychosocial Risk 2026 update which outlined their expectations for the industry in managing this risk
- WorkSafe VIC Statement of Regulator Intent 2025-26 includes psychological health as a focus
- WorkSafe QLD have psychological safety as a high level priority in their 2024-30 WHSQ Priority Plan
- NT, WA, ACT, SA and TAS regulators all have similar focus and priority areas.
3 Key Actions for Risk, HR and Safety Teams Right Now
- Codes of Practice – review the regulator approved Codes of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender Based Harassment – remember, most states now have mandatory compliance for Codes of Practice so it is important to understand the requirements
- Risk Assessment – work collaboratively across Risk, HR and Safety to commence consultation with workers and to complete your organisational level Psychosocial Hazards Risk Assessment
- Positive Duty and Due Diligence – ensure that you understand steps to take to meet your positive duty requirements and that your “Officers” include both physical & psychological safety in their Due Diligence actions
Final Thoughts
Wellness at work and our psychological safety is not a “flash in the pan” issue that we can deprioritise when something more important comes along. Being proactive and taking a risk managed approach will set your organisation up for success, especially when it’s built on a foundation of leadership support and worker involvement.
