Page 40 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Jul-Aug 2021

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People Matter
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PAINT&PANEL JULY / AUGUST 2021 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
PSYCHO WHAT?
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SUPREMO GARY WILCOX FROM MONIT KEEPS US UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS AND HOW TO COMPLY.
N A WORLD OF CONSTANT CHANGE
collision repair shops fair bet- ter than most when it comes to rejigging their business to ac-
commodate change.
It’s also fair to say that COVID-19 has
been a wake-up call for most shops own- ers. As with other business owners the re- alisation hit home that workplace health and safety is not just about machinery but that businesses are also responsible to pro- tect their workers from viral injuries. By the way, if you do not have a COVID safe plan in place stop reading this and do one immediately. For the rest, read on.
I have been writing articles warning about the impact of a new workplace focus for the authorities called psycho- social behaviour. Before then it was relatively unheard of term. Fast forward 2021 and it is now on the radar of every gov- ernment as the authorities unveil their focus on psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
Psychosocial hazards at work are as- pects of work and situations that may cause a stress response which in turn can lead to psychological or physical harm.
NSW has just become the first state in Australia to introduce a Code of Conduct covering Psychosocial Haz- ards in the workplace.
Reading through the Code of Practice it is, for the most part, something that eve- ry business with a robust health and safety system in place would be doing an- yway. However, done poorly, or not at all, could have dire consequences.
An extreme example would be a work-
This would now more
than likely attract an industrial manslaughter
charge against the business owner ”
er who commits suicide from the direct effects of a psychosocial hazard in a workplace. This would now more than likely attract an industrial manslaughter charge against the business owner with the outcome dependent on the ability of the business to submit evidence to prove their duty of care.
It’s becoming obvious that for a business shirking their WHS obliga- tions there is going to be greater scru- tiny placed on their workplace psycho- social environment.
Managing psychosocial hazards at work is simply about:
SHARING INFORMATION.
• Giving affected workers reasonable opportunities to express views.
• Taking those views into account before making decisions on WHS matters.
• Advising workers of the consulta- tion’s outcomes in a timely and ap- propriate manner.
• Examples of things to look out for and ask about may include:
• Tasks or situations that are generally considered mentally, emotionally or physically very difficult or stressful.
• Frequent rushing, delays, work backlogs, increased rates of errors or wastage, un- expected incidents, or process failures.
• Workers improvising how work is done due to time pressures, or inap- propriately delaying or avoiding tasks.
• Concerns about understaffing or inap- propriate staff skills mix, inadequate or inappropriate tools or amenities.
• Significant differences between duty statements and required activities.
• Complaints about the company’s policies, procedures and systems of work saying they are unsafe or too difficult to follow.
Significant changes in the behaviours of workers such as:
INCIVILITY.
• Openly criticising others or the or- ganisation.
• Refusing offers of help when it is needed or others requests for help.
• Lack of engagement such as low- quality performance or failure to complete jobs on time.
• Increased absenteeism.
• New technology and equipment changes. • Social factors at work, workplace rela-
tionships and social interactions.
a
Monit is a safety management system, with a real person dedicated to your company who manages all of your company’s WHS data. Visit: Monit.live for more information.