Lesson 1 – Topic 2: Examples of Psychosocial Hazards
So let’s have a look at examples of psychosocial hazards and risks.
There are many situations that may contribute to psychological injury, for example;
- High job demands
- Low job demands
- Low job control
- Poor support from managers and/or co-workers
- Taking credit for the achievements of others
- Poor workplace relationships
- Uncertainty about the job
- Poor job recognition
- Hazardous environmental conditions
- Repetitive work
- Bullying, harassment and discrimination
- Traumatic events such as incidents, accidents and violence
- Organizational restructuring
These are some of the most common hazards. There may be other hazards that are relevant to your work environment. You will need to identify those through your own risk management processes.
The management of psychosocial hazards in the workplace is very similar to managing physical hazards.
But like any approach, it all starts with leadership and management commitment.
To achieve this, everybody from management to non management including your contractual network, must have a good understanding of their legal obligations under the safety laws, they must have a good understanding of company policies and how these requirements are expressed in their job roles and of course why managing psychosocial hazards is a concern to the organization.
Another important requirement in managing psychosocial hazards is to make sure you have effective consultation processes in place. HSRs, Safety Committees or other consultation processes are critical to gain an understanding what is going on within your organization and will provide critical information when deciding how to go about preventing or managing psychosocial hazards.