Tools for Workers
Managing psychosocial hazards is everyone’s responsibility at Curtin, not just managers. Here’s your part in it, and how to report a concern.
Your duty as a worker
Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), a worker must:
- take reasonable care for their psychological and physical health and safety
- take reasonable care not to adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
- comply with reasonable health and safety instructions, as far as they are reasonably able, and
- co-operate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedure
In practice, that means taking part in consultation on psychosocial hazards, reporting hazards and incidents early, raising it when something is affecting a colleague, treating people with respect, and following the controls measures put in place.
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Report hazards early
If you notice to identify a psychosocial hazard, you must raise it with your line manager first. You can also report it, or get advice from Health and Safety.
When to report:
- A hazard is affecting your health and safety, or a colleague’s
- You’re seeing a pattern, not just a one-off
- There’s a risk to someone’s safety right now (in that case, act straight away)
- You’re not sure whether something is a hazard. It’s fine to just ask.
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Keeping the workplace psychologically safe
Communication and behaviour
- Share what you’re noticing in team meetings or catch-ups, rather than waiting to be asked
- Conduct yourself appropriately
- Offer a hand to support other people’s workload
- Be mindful of differing personalities and beliefs in the workplace
Supporting controls
- If you are having trouble managing workload, talk to your manager
- If your role or what’s expected of you isn’t clear, ask your manager for support
- When your team talks about how work gets done, share what would make your day more manageable
- When you feel stressed, check-in with yourself and seek support such as the Employee Assistance Program