National Safe Work Month 2023

Working together to manage risks at work

Every workplace has its own set of unique risks and hazards, which is why it is important to have a comprehensive system in place to manage them. Whether you are a worker, HSR, manager or supervisor, we can all help to prevent and manage risks.

Working together to protect workers’ mental health

Working in a safe environment is essential for everyone's wellbeing, and mental health is no exception. A healthy and safe workplace provides structure and purpose, a sense of identity, and opportunities to develop skills and increased feelings of self-worth.

We all have a role to play in supporting mentally healthy workplaces. Everyone has an obligation in the workplace to:

• comply with reasonable health and safety instructions
• take reasonable care of their own psychological and physical health and safety
• take reasonable care that their actions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons.
• co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure relating to health and safety.

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work which have the potential to cause psychological harm, whether or not it may also cause physical harm. These can include, but are not limited to, bullying, job demands, poor support, remote and isolated work and poor organisational change management.

To learn more, access Safe Work Australia's Model Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work.

Officers under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act), have a duty to create systematic approaches to the prevention and management of hazards in the workplace. This is known as ‘due diligence’ which includes taking reasonable steps to undertake the following actions.

• Acquire and update knowledge of health and safety matters
• Understand operations and associated hazards and risks
• Ensure appropriate resources and processes are in place to eliminate or minimise risks
• Ensure appropriate processes are in place to receive and respond promptly to information regarding incidents, hazards and risks
• Ensure processes are in place and are used for complying with duties and obligations under the WHS Act, such as consultation.

Guidance, resources and tools are available to help you foster mentally healthy workplaces.

Working together to support all workers

Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy working environment. We know however, that some workers are more vulnerable to WHS hazards. Factors known to affect workers' WHS vulnerability include being younger, working alone, being from a cultural and linguistically diverse background or working in a more complex contractual chain (e.g. labour hire). This highlights the importance of effective consultation and communication with workers as part of the risk management process and an effective workplace health and safety management system.

Getting work health and safety right, along with early intervention delivers many benefits to people and organisations. These include improved health and wellbeing, greater productivity, higher performance, increased job satisfaction, greater work participation and social inclusion, increased individual, team and organisational resilience, lower absenteeism, fewer injuries and workers’ compensation claims, faster return to work and lower workers’ compensation premiums.

Working together to ensure a safe and healthy workplace

Good Work Design is important to prevent harm to health and safety, promote health and wellbeing and to support work participation and productivity. Managers and supervisors play a key role in designing and delivering good work in the workplace.

There is strong evidence that participating in good work is good for mental and physical health and wellbeing.