Part 4 – Managing reports of psychosocial hazards and incidents

Reporting of psychosocial hazards and incidents

166. Reports of psychosocial hazards are things like an employee reporting that:
     • their team is experiencing high job demands
     • employees working in remote locations are at risk of becoming disconnected from the broader work team
     • a noisy work environment is making it hard for employees to concentrate and is affecting their mental wellbeing.
167. Reports of psychosocial incidents are things like an employee reporting that:
     • a customer has verbally abused them
     • a colleague has sexually harassed them
     • a supervisor is bullying them.
168. When an employee reports a psychosocial hazard or incident this can:
     • help employers identify new or undetected risks in the working environment
     • show that existing controls need to be reviewed and potentially revised.
169. Employees may report psychosocial hazards and incidents in various ways; for example:
     • submitting a report via the organisation’s existing hazard or incident reporting system. If the system has been set up for physical hazards, some adjustments may be needed for reports of psychosocial hazards. This may include adjustments for protected or confidential reports
     • talking with or writing to a supervisor, the OHS department or HR department
     • raising the issue with the HSR of their designated work group
     • responding to employee surveys or feedback
     • submitting a complaint or grievance in accordance with internal procedures
     • submitting a workers compensation claim for a psychological injury
     • submitting a report via external reporting options.
170. Employers should provide options for reporting that:
     • suit the organisation’s size and circumstances
     • are proportional to the risks in the organisation; for example, where the nature of the work means employees are more likely to be exposed to psychosocial hazards, a formal reporting system may be required.
171. In a small organisation, options for reporting may include:
     • raising hazards and incidents in a team meeting or directly with a supervisor or any HSRs
     • an alternative reporting option where it is not appropriate to report directly to a supervisor, such as a locked box for making confidential reports
     • external reporting options where required.
172. A large organisation should have a formal system for reporting psychosocial hazards and incidents. All employees should be able to access and understand how to use the system.
173. Employees may not report psychosocial hazards and incidents because they:
     • see them as just ‘part of the job’ or work culture
     • believe they are not serious enough to report
     • think reports will be ignored or not handled appropriately, respectfully and confidentially
     • are worried about the consequences; for example, they:
       • fear they will be blamed
       • believe reporting may cause the behaviour to escalate and expose them to additional harm, discrimination or disadvantage
     • do not know or understand the process for reporting hazards and incidents or how their report will be responded to
     • feel uncomfortable reporting hazards and incidents through a formal process
     • are unable to make a confidential report
     • do not have the time to report hazards, particularly where the system is complex or cumbersome.
174. Employees who identify psychosocial hazards or witness incidents should be:
     • encouraged to report
     • provided with guidance, information and support.
175. Employers can encourage employees to report hazards and incidents by:
     • regularly discussing and communicating with employees about psychosocial hazards
     • giving employees a range of accessible and user-friendly reporting methods that suit the working environment
     • making the system and process for reporting and responding transparent, and including information about who will be notified of the report
     • responding to all reports of psychosocial hazards and incidents in a timely manner and taking appropriate actions to control any associated risks
     • making it clear that victimising those who make reports will not be accepted
     • training employees on all the ways a report can be made
     • providing training to supervisors and managers on how to respond appropriately to informal and formal reports of psychosocial hazards and incidents
     • providing options for confidential reporting, where privacy or other concerns are raised; for example, where it is not appropriate for the employee’s manager to be involved
     • documenting in policies and procedures the system of work for reporting and responding to psychosocial hazards and incidents.

Responding to reports of psychosocial hazards and incidents

176. Responding to a reported psychosocial hazard or incident is an important step in the risk management process. Depending on the circumstances of the report, you may need to:
     • review risk control measures
     • investigate further.
177. When deciding on the type of response required, consider:
     • the nature of the hazard or incident
     • the level of risk involved
     • the complexity of the situation
     • any repeated exposure to incidents of a similar nature
     • the number of employees involved or affected
     • other people involved, such as clients, customers, patients or students
     • for larger employers, whether an organisational response is required to manage the risk in a systematic way across multiple work sites or locations.
178. A response to a report of a psychosocial hazard or incident should include the following:
     • identifying whether any other psychosocial hazards are present
     • identifying if there is any new or additional information available about the psychosocial hazard that has been reported
     • assessing associated risks, including:
       • if new or additional information changes the risk
       • if so, how the risk has changed
     • reviewing existing risk control measures, including their effectiveness
     • revising risk control measures to eliminate or reduce the risk where necessary
     • monitoring the implemented risk control measures following the review or investigation
     • monitoring trends in reporting data for hazards and incidents, including across multiple sites where relevant.
179. An investigation of an incident should:
     • be done in a fair, timely and transparent way
     • engage and support all parties throughout the process
     • use an impartial investigator with the appropriate expertise and skills
     • outline how sensitive information will be handled, including issues of privacy and confidentiality
     • identify and manage any ongoing physical and psychosocial risks in the working environment
     • provide appropriate information about expected reasonable timeframes and the outcomes of the investigation to all relevant parties
     • communicate to all relevant parties how investigation outcomes will be carried out and incorporated into risk management processes.
180. In some cases, an HR team may do a separate investigation into an incident. The HR and OHS teams should work closely together to:
     • share information
     • identify all psychosocial hazards
     • control any associated risks.
181. Some reports of psychosocial hazards or incidents may involve harmful workplace behaviours such as bullying, sexual harassment and aggression or violence. These may also be reported as a:
     • complaint
     • grievance
     • potential breach of a code of conduct.
182. It is important to have clear and documented response procedures to effectively address reports of harmful workplace behaviours. Procedures should outline:
     • how reports of harmful behaviour will be responded to in an objective, fair, transparent and timely way
     • the responsibilities of management
     • options for psychological support for everyone involved
     • additional external reporting options available to all parties, including options to escalate if a party is dissatisfied with the internal investigation process.
183. In some cases, employers may need to use impartial external investigators with relevant skills and expertise. For example, investigators who:
     • are trained in trauma-informed interviewing techniques
     • have expertise and experience in psychosocial risk management.

184. When hazards and incidents are not appropriately responded to:
     • contributing psychosocial hazards may not be identified
     • associated risks may not be controlled
     • existing risk control measures may not be effectively reviewed and revised
     • the risk of harm may increase.