NEWS
When employees feel comfortable in their roles and are willing to ask for help, share their ideas, or challenge the status quo without fear of backlash, organisations are more likely to innovate, become more diverse, and adapt to change.
This cannot be achieved without psychosocial safety – an area that has grown in importance for occupational health and safety professionals in recent years. As organisations become more effective at managing physical risks in the workplace, psychosocial risks can become a more significant component in overall OHS risk.
ISO 45003 is the first international standard to address psychological health, safety and wellbeing at work. The guidance standard gives organisations recommendations, rather than requirements, to support the psychological health and safety of workers and can be used alongside ISO 45001 or as a standalone document.
The guidance includes the following recommendations:
- Visible and active support from top management as an important enabler – providing any necessary resources and personally setting an example.
- Worker consultation and participation, whether via health and safety committees or directly with workers.
- Systematic review of work activities to understand which psychosocial hazards exist in the organisation.
- Reviewing available data, including, for example:
- Sickness absence records;
- complaints or grievance cases;
- comments made in exit interviews;
- incident and accident investigations.
Today’s workers, and especially the younger generation, are more aware of their psychological health and expect their employer to support their psychological health and wellbeing. Organisations need to address these expectations, to ensure they can attract and retain the talent they need to sustain their activities.
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