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MENTALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACES
REPORTING PSYCHOSOCIAL INJURIES IN THE RESOURCES SECTOR
Exposure to psychosocial hazards poses risk of significant harm to the psychological and physical health of workers. The psychological injuries that can result from exposure to these hazards include: • • • • •
anxiety depression trauma and stress-related disorders alcohol abuse and substance use other psychological conditions.
As the Department continues to focus on supporting the development and maintenance of mentally healthy workplaces in Western Australian workplaces, the mentally healthy workplaces audit has been a principal source of information on trends in managing psychosocial hazards and risk factors in the resources sector. The Department has conducted 27 mentally healthy workplace audits since the tool was published in August 2020. In particular, the audits emphasised the importance of raising awareness of the statutory requirements to report injuries and potentially serious occurrences at mines, including those related to psychological injuries and hazard exposures.
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Psychosocial hazard exposures that can lead to psychological injury and may be reportable to the Department can include: • • • • • •
workplace violence and aggression harassment, including sexual harassment bullying stress burnout exposure to traumatic events.
Providing and maintaining workplaces where workers are, so far as practicable, not exposed to psychosocial hazards and ensuring statutory notification requirements are met supports compliance with legislative obligations under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994. Taking actions to identify potential psychosocial hazards and implementing controls to manage the risk of exposures supports mining operations to secure workers’ psychological health through the development and maintenance of mentally healthy workplaces.
