The whole concept of psychosocial hazards can feel daunting and uncomfortable. It’s more straightforward to detect a trip hazard or a dangerous chemical! But they are just as important to address as physical ones, if not more so. Here are some simple questions to help you identify if psychosocial hazards could be an issue in your workplace.
- Has anyone in your team reported that they feel anxious, stressed, unsafe, or burned out at work?
- Have any team members made complaints of bullying or harassment?
- Have any team members reported serious discontent with supervisors or other team members?
- Has there been a significant drop in productivity or the quality of work?
- Do you have high rates of (or an increase in) absenteeism?
- Is there a high rate of (or an increase in) staff turnover?
- Does your team complete a lot of overtime?
- Do you have team members with large amounts of unused annual leave?
- Is there a history of worker’s compensation claims for anxiety, depression, burnout or PTSD?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these nine questions, psychosocial hazards could be a factor in your workplace. Even one ‘yes’ should be investigated to make sure psychosocial hazards are not causing harm to your team.
Here are some useful resources to help you take a closer look at psychosocial hazards.
Stay safe, keep moving.