Psychosocial Hazards at Workplace: Health Impact, Risk Assessment and Control Measures

Running head: PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS
PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS
Introduction
This briefing note will be discussing about the psychosocial hazards taking place at work
place, the health impact of exposure to the identified hazards, the potential outcomes of the risk
assessment hazards and the various measures for controlling the risks. Work is beneficial to
mental well state and personal well being of a person. It provides a sense of identity in a person.
7500 Australians had been suffering from work related psychological disorders equating to
around 6% of the workers compensation claims. About $480 millions of Australian workers are
paid compensation for the work related mental disorders ("Australian Commission on Safety and
Quality in Health Care", 2018). Most common types of psychosocial hazards noticed are alcohol
in the work place, driver fatigue, customer aggression, work related mental disorders, remote or
isolated work.
Issue
 Alcohol in the workplace- about 15 % of the work place injuries in Australia have been
attributed by the drug and substance abuse. And the economic cost due to alcohol use in
Australia can be estimated about $4.5 billion a year contributing to the largest proportion
to cost ("Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care", 2018).
 Work place bullying- Workers in Australia had been facing with psychological distress
due to work place bullying. Reports showing 154% higher loss in performance at work.
12% more sick days per month have been obtained by the employers ("What is Work-
Related Stress? - OHS Reps", 2018).
 Customer aggression-Customer aggression towards an employee can create a
frightening, intimidating situation.
Adverse effects
 Adverse physical effects such as liver cirrhosis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, poor
mental health, loss of job due to dismissal from the workplace and violence are the
possible adverse effects of the alcohol consumption at the workplace (D'aleo et al., 2007).

2PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS
 Bullying at work place can cause stress anxiety and sleep disturbances, mental issues
such as depression, reduced quality of life, increased absenteeism and degraded work
performance (Law et al., 2011).
 If customer aggression is not managed properly then it can cost directly to the employees
such as recruitment costs, costs due to new employment training, declined staff and client
satisfaction (D'aleo et al., 2007).
Methods for assessing psychosocial hazards at the workplace
 The Australian Drug foundation has developed an effective workplace alcohol policy. In
2006, the ACTU executive has endorsed the alcohol and the other drugs at workplace
policy ("Home - ADF - Alcohol & Drug Foundation", 2018). The policy focused on the
factors in the workplace that can attribute to the use of alcohols, early interventions, a
confidential reporting procedures, support and counseling services for the people
vulnerable to drugs and alcohol, training education to the managers, employees and the
supervisors.
 There is no single act dedicated for the workplace bullying in Australia. The national
model of Work health and safety Act or model work health and safety regulations have
included those strategies to set up workplace bullying. In 2011 the parliament of Victoria
had made amendments in the Victorian Crime act, 1958 by the crime amendment bill,
2011, concerned with nurse bullying. The occupational safety and the health act 1984
place duties on the employers and the employees to maintain codes of practice ("What is
Work-Related Stress? - OHS Reps", 2018).
 NOHS have taken up strategies related to workplace such as fragmented work to ease out
stress at the workplace. Scheduling of work such as shift timings, employment status,
physical work environment, degree of control over work (Chan-Mok et al., 2014). The
national health and safety commission of Australia (NOHS) have provided strategies for
reducing fatigue among the employees. Fragmentation of work, dissemination of the
workload, reasonable shift timings, provision of food and water, designing of the
ergonomics to increase employee comfort.