NSW is the first State in Australia to introduce an industry-wide Code of Practice to clarify the legal responsibilities employees have to address workplace hazards that could cause psychological or physical harm.
Minister for Better Regulation, Kevin Anderson said SafeWork NSW’s Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work encompassed risks to psychological health and covered all NSW workplaces.
“This Code comes after our research found only one in five NSW businesses reported having a basic awareness on how to control work-related psychological health risks,” Mr Anderson said.
“Less than 10 per cent of all workplaces said they have an established approach to handling these issues,” he said.
“Every workplace in NSW has a legal duty of care to their employees to protect them from psychosocial hazards such as bullying and harassment, violence in the workplace and importantly, remote and isolated work.”
Mr Anderson said the new Code set out what employers needed to do under the State’s Work Health and Safety legislation to protect their workers.
He said the Code would also be used in court as evidence if workplaces failed to take their responsibilities seriously.
Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor said the Code provided clear guidelines to business owners and staff to take the guesswork out of how to avoid psychological hazards and safely meet new and existing challenges in the workplace
SafeWork’s 38-page Code of Practice can be accessed at this PS News link.
