The NSW Government launched a plan aimed at helping employers manage psychosocial risks and protect their workers from psychological harms.
The SafeWork NSW Psychological Health and Safety Strategy 2024-2026 outlines how the workplace regulator will support employers to manage risks and comply with their duty to prevent psychological harm in NSW workplaces.
This NSW Government strategy is backed by $5.6 million over the next two years to deliver workplace mental health programs for small and medium businesses through the Black Dog Institute and Transitioning Well.
The programs are targeted at small businesses, which make up the bulk of employers in NSW and generally have less capability and fewer resources to manage mental health and protect psychological health at work.
Workplace mental ill health is estimated to cost Australian businesses up to $39 billion each year due to lost participation and productivity.
Workplace leaders know that if the mental wellbeing of workers is protected, they will want to stay, and these workplaces will keep their top talent.
New initiatives as part of the 2024-2026 strategy include:
- practical tools, resources, and webinars to help businesses.
- the translation of all resources to reach and support culturally and linguistically diverse workers – a high risk worker category for psychological injury.
- building capability across SafeWork NSW’s inspectorate and conduct compliance visits in high-risk workplaces.
- creating industry forums whose role is to identify psychosocial hazards in the relevant industry.
Together we can drive real change and better outcomes for employees and employers in NSW.
SafeWork NSW consulted with many stakeholders during the development of the strategy, including workers, health and safety professionals from government agencies, unions and business.
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Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:
“It is a fundamental right of every worker to come home safe to their loved ones both physically and mentally.”
“We must all work together to bring about change to make workplaces psychologically safer for workers. If workplaces remain unsafe, I strongly endorse SafeWork’s actions to bring about improvements.”
Minister for Small Business Steve Kamper said:
“NSW is home to roughly 850,000 small businesses which employ 1.7 million people or about 43 per cent of the state’s private sector workforce.”
“The NSW Labor Government is focused on delivering a safer workplace and to do this we must work hand-in-hand with businesses to ensure we are providing the right programs and advice to protect workers and businesses.”
“By addressing psychosocial risks, we are not only protecting the health of our workforce, we are protecting the businesses of NSW from lost participation and productivity.”
Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said:
“The last few years have been particularly hard for people. Our workforce has been impacted by increased pressure from the cost-of-living, natural disasters, and COVID-19.”
“We know workers in industries such as emergency services, nursing, and law enforcement have been on the frontline and may be more at risk. Our strategy launching today aims to strengthen mental health support in the workplace. To help take care of people who take care of us.”
“Irrespective of the industry that you work in, everyone deserves to work in a respectful and psychologically safe workplace. It is imperative that our workplaces and employers are doing everything they can to prevent psychological harm in NSW workplaces.”
Acting Deputy Secretary SafeWork NSW Trent Curtin said:
“Large businesses and government agencies at high-risk of psychological injuries can expect compliance checks from SafeWork NSW.”
“SafeWork NSW will issue improvement notices, prohibition notices or formal regulator warnings and may prosecute workplaces who repeatedly do not comply or where they have seriously breached WHS laws.”
“In addition to being an obligation under Work Health and Safety regulations, a psychologically healthy and safe workplace helps reduce business costs. These include costs associated with absenteeism and presenteeism, where staff are away from work and where staff are attending work under stress or experiencing mental health issues. Presenteeism is estimated to have an annual cost of $1680 per employee.”
