Psychosocial Hazards

Incidents in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.

Repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed at a person or group that creates a risk to health and safety. Bullying behaviour can be:

• between employees
• directed at employees from people who have relationships with the workplace, such as:
  • clients
  • customers
  • contractors
  • patients
  • volunteers
  • members of the public.

Any behaviour directed at, or affecting, a person because:

• of their sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity
• they do not adhere to socially prescribed gender roles.

Work involving sustained or repeated high physical, mental or emotional effort, or a combination of any of these.

When a person has little control over aspects of their work, including how or when a job is done.

Work involving sustained low physical, mental or emotional effort.

Where there is a low level or lack of acknowledgment, reward or recognition for an employee’s:

• Contributions
• Achievements
• Efforts

Jobs where:

• there is uncertainty about, or frequent changes to, tasks and work standards
• important task information is not available
• there are conflicting roles, responsibilities or expectations.

When employees are exposed to poor-quality or hazardous working environments, including in work-provided accommodation.

When change related to an employee’s work conditions is poorly managed, supported or communicated. This may include:

• a lack of consideration of the potential effects on health, safety and performance
• inadequate consultation with employees.

Situations where:

• people in positions of authority do not apply processes fairly when making decisions (procedural fairness)
• relevant employees are not given necessary information (informational fairness)
• employees are not treated with dignity and respect (interpersonal fairness).

When employees do not have adequate:

• practical or emotional support from supervisors and co-workers
• information or training to support their work performance
• tools, equipment and resources to do their job.

Interactions in the workplace that may be harmful. These can start with low-intensity incivility. If unaddressed, they can escalate into more harmful interactions.

Remote work is work at locations where:

• access to resources and communications is difficult
• travel times might be lengthy.

Isolated work can be where:

• there are no or few other people around
• access to help from others, especially in an emergency, might be difficult.

An employee can be working alone or in isolation even if other people are close by. For example, an employee working at a temporary location who is the sole representative from their team or organisation.Poor environmental conditions

When employees are exposed to poor-quality or hazardous working environments, including in work-provided accommodation.

Sexual harassment has the same meaning given by section 92 (1) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EO Act).

The EO Act states that a person sexually harasses another person if he or she:

• makes an unwelcome sexual advance, or an unwelcome request for sexual favours, to the other person, or
• engages in any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to the other person in circumstances

in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that the other person would be offended, humiliated or intimidated.

Exposure to traumatic events may involve:

• actual or perceived threats to life
• experiencing a serious injury
• witnessing serious injuries or fatalities.

Exposure to traumatic content may include:

• hearing other people’s traumatic stories
• reading detailed reports or documents about traumatic events
• reviewing images or video footage of traumatic events.

Exposure to traumatic content can result in indirect or vicarious exposure to trauma.