So far this National Safe Work Month, we’ve taken a close look at typical physical and mental health hazards in different workplaces, and ways to mitigate them. Ultimately prevention is the best cure, which is why this week focuses on managing workplace health and safety (WHS) risks and preventing harm. 

“Managing WHS risks is essential to creating a safe and healthy workplace,” says Safe Work Australia. “You need to identify hazards by finding all the things that could potentially harm your workers or other people, and assess the risk by thinking about the likelihood and consequences of any injury or illness that could result if a worker or other person is exposed to a hazard.” 

Four steps to managing risk 

According to Safe Work Australia, risk management can be broken down into four stages: identify, assess, control and review. 

First up is to identify hazards. These are anything that could harm a person through death, injury, or illness. Importantly, they include psychosocial hazards, which are anything that puts at risk a person’s psychosocial or mental health. The first stage in the risk management process is to find out exactly what things could cause harm in your workplace, no matter how big or small. 

Next, you need to assess the identified risks. In other words, consider how likely the hazard is to occur, and what impact it could have on an employee’s physical or psychosocial safety. 

Controlling risk entails devising measures to eliminate the risk or, when that’s not possible, minimise it as much as is reasonably practicable. Safe Work Australia suggests adopting a hierarchy of control measures, which are ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. 

Finally, it is important to review these control measures regularly, to make sure they work as intended. Risk management strategies are not a matter of just set-and-forget. Learn from the things that work. Adapt and replace the things that don’t. Your strategy also needs to be agile enough to adapt to changes in your business practices and the makeup of your workforce.

Workplace safety is good business 

There is no doubt work safety makes good economic sense. Safe Work Australia reports that in 2021 in Australia there were more than 120,000 serious workers compensation claims (defined as “claims for an incapacity that results in a total absence from work of one working week or more”). These resulted in a median payout of $11,900 for women and $14,500 for men. 

Total economic costs for workplace related injuries number in the tens of billions. Other “hidden” costs beyond direct compensations payouts include workplace disruption and lost productivity while investigations are being carried out and machinery or production has to stop, potential for penalties if WorkSafe believe someone is negligent or liable, and brand or reputation damage to the company. There are also increases to premiums that occur for future years, which can be significant. 

In other words, the financial implications can be considerable. Chances are if workplaces don’t put the effort and resources into managing WHS risks now, it will inevitably cost them down the track. 

There are other reasons having effective, proactive WHS policies and practices is good for business. Strong WHS management is a fundamental way for employers to demonstrate they value their staff and care about their wellbeing. This enhances their public image and potentially makes it easier to attract, engage and retain talented staff, even in the midst of a skills shortage. 

Consultation is key 

In recent years, global best practice safety management has increasingly focused on improving consultation. Indeed, at each stage of the risk management process recommended by Safe Work Australia, the mantra is: Consult, consult, consult. 

“Consultation is an essential part of health and safety at work,” they say. “It helps you to identify and understand risks and find practical ways of managing them.” 

They note that while businesses have a duty to consult with workers and their representatives under WHS laws, the process doesn’t have to be complicated. “You can consult in a way that suits your business, your workers and the type of risks in your workplace.” 

Safe Work Australia provides a framework for how WHS consultations can be conducted efficiently, effectively, and with an eye to continuous improvement. It includes things like regular staff emails, updates and team meetings; surveys and feedback forms; pre-start briefings and toolbox talks. 

To ensure everyone is able to access and contribute meaningfully to consultations, Safe Work Australia recommend businesses stagger the times at which consultations take place to accommodate shift and hybrid workers, and provide translation and interpretation for culturally and linguistically diverse workers. 

Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility 

Importantly, they suggest having “an open-door policy on WHS”. In other words, employees should feel safe and supported to speak up about health and safety concerns in a timely manner. 

And since the best way to consult will be determined by the size, structure and nature of the organisation, it’s worth employers asking their staff what they think will be the most effective method for gaining their input. 

“For smaller workplaces, consultation might be as simple as regularly talking to workers about health and safety matters,” says Safe Work Australia. “Larger or more complex workplaces may need more formal ways of consulting. If workers are represented by a health and safety representative you must include them in your consultation.” 

If the risk management process is inclusive at every stage, rather than delivered in a top-down style, it will help ensure all employees are engaged in the strategy, and maximise buy-in. 

Acclaimed Workforce holds ISO 45001 certification for OHS and provides workplace safety management services for our on-hired employment and workforce management services. Contact us today to find out how we can assist you.