NOTE: As with all these cases, we are not suggesting the organisation is or isn't managing psychosocial risks effectively. We do not have access to their processes. We are sharing these to highlight that these risks are now being taken seriously by regulators to encourage organisations to take action.
Andrew and Nicola Forrester's 'Minderoo' has been issued an improvement notice by WorkSafe. An employee's absence of more than 10 days (psychological injury) was not reported. This is part of new mandatory notification requirements you can read here. We spoke with former CEO of SafeWork SA, Martyn Campbell, about this case.
Summarising our conversation with Martyn
Regulators are beginning to shift from education around psychosocial risk management into enforcement. Usually, in the initial phase of enforcement:
- The probability of a fine is low;
- However, the probability of an improvement notice is high
The case of Minderoo is an example of this. Workplaces want to avoid improvement notices as it can put you on the regulator watchlist. Here are three positive steps towards avoiding an improvement notice:
- Step 1: Form a working group/committee to manage psychosocial risks.
- Step 2: Update policies, procedures and training (but don't count on these to avoid an improvement notice). Access a free training course here.
- Step 3: Conduct a risk assessment (it doesn't need to be extravagant, a basic one can show commitment).
An easy risk assessment template
For most workplaces, the risk assessment seems to be the most challenging. A few weeks ago we offered 5 free risk assessment templates for workplaces via our newsletter. We'd like to open this offer up again to all who read this and are interested in one. Just fill out this form and we will setup a risk assessment for you. Below is what this risk assessment will look like:
