Page 28 - The Outdoor Showman OCT-DEC 2024

26 THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN
26 THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN
Mental health:
Safety basics
Background
Mental health is a state of wellbeing
that allows people to realise their
potential while coping with the
ordinary challenges of life.
We all experience varying levels of
mental health during our lives.
Good mental health supports
people to thrive in their life, work
and relationships with others.
Meanwhile, mental ill-health can
negatively impact these parts of
our lives in a significant way.
A mentally healthy workplace
Work is a big part of our daily lives
and can help to prevent mental
ill-health by giving us a feeling of
purpose and a sense of contribution.
A mentally healthy workplace has
measures in place to prevent harm
by identifying risks to mental health,
managing harm from an early stage,
and supporting recovery. At the same
time, positive work-related factors
are encouraged and promoted.
In a mentally healthy workplace:
•
mental health is everyone’s
responsibility
•
mental health is considered in
every way you do business
•
everyone contributes to a culture
where people feel safe and supported
to talk about mental health
•
mental health support is tailored
for individuals and teams
•
everyone can see that supporting
worker mental health is a priority
Who has legal duties?
In section 5 of the Occupational
Health and Safety Act 2004
(OHS Act), health is defined as
including psychological health.
Under the OHS Act, employers must
provide and maintain a working
environment for their employees,
including independent contractors,
that is safe and without risks to
health, so far as is reasonably
practicable. This includes providing and
maintaining safe systems of work.
Employers also have an obligation to
consult with employees and health
and safety representatives (if any)
on matters that directly affect, or are
likely to affect their health or safety,
for example when identifying hazards
and deciding on appropriate risk
controls. This includes hazards and
risks associated with mental health.
Employees have a duty while at work,
to take reasonable care for their
own health and safety, and to take
reasonable care for the health and
safety of people who may be affected by
their acts or omissions in the workplace.
They also have a duty to co-operate
with their employer’s actions to comply
with a requirement under the OHS Act
and Occupational Health and Safety
Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations).
Causes of workplace mental injury
There are a number of work-
related factors within the control
of employers that can impact
on mental health and safety.
Work-related factors, also known as
psychosocial hazards, are anything in
the management or design of work that
increases the risk of work-related stress,
which can lead to physical injury, mental
injury or even both at the same time.
Workers are likely to be exposed to a
combination of work-related factors.
Some of these may always be present,
while others occur occasionally.
Common work-related factors are:
•
low job control
•
high and low job demands
•
poor support
•
poor organisational
change management
•
poor organisational justice
•
low recognition and reward
•
poor workplace relationships
•
poor environmental
conditions, such as:
•
hazardous manual tasks
•
poor air quality
•
high noise levels
•
extreme temperatures
•
working near unsafe machinery
•
remote and isolated work
•
violent or traumatic events
Creating a mentally
healthy workplace
As an employer, you are well placed
to create a positive, supportive and
inclusive workplace and to develop
good systems of work for supporting
mental health in the workplace.
Management
A mentally healthy workplace
requires leaders who:
•
demonstrate commitment to
mental health in the workplace
•
manage workplace
relationships respectfully
•
treat employees with fairness
and respect at all times
•
demonstrate a zero-tolerance for
bullying and discrimination
•
•
are accessible and willing to listen
communicate clearly and
openly in a timely manner
•
•
•
provide feedback in a constructive way
ensure employees have safe workloads
clarify role expectations and
reporting structures
•
provide reward and recognition
for good work
Work design
Good work design enables employees
to be engaged in work that is healthy,
safe and productive. It includes:
•
consulting with employees on matters
that affect their mental health at work
•
•
•
•
designing jobs with safe workloads
ensuring safe work schedules through:
providing suitable rest breaks
designing shifts to minimise fatigue
•
providing for appropriate
fatigue recovery
•
providing sufficient notice of
schedule or shift changes
•
providing employees with
appropriate control and flexibility
over how they do their work
•
implementing policies and procedures
for responding to workplace bullying,
stress, and occupational violence
•
minimising isolated work and ensuring
adequate support and communication
where isolated work is necessary
What are work related factors?
Also known as psychosocial hazards,
work-related factors are anything in
the design or management of work
that can affect an employee’s mental
health. If these work-related factors are
not managed well, there is an increased
risk of work-related stress, which can
lead to physical injury, mental injury
or even both at the same time.
For more information please visit WorkSafe Victoria
https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/mental-health-safety-basics