On 20 May 2021 the Federal, State, and Territory Ministers who are responsible for work health and safety (WHS) voted to amend the model Work Health and Safety Regulation. The amendments, once passed, will see the inclusion of specific provisions on managing psychosocial risks in the Regulations.
Already in place under WHS legislation, a school as “a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the health and safety of workers and other persons in the workplace.
The amendments to the Regulations dealing with psychosocial risks will impose a new, positive obligation on schools to manage and guard against the risk of psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
SafeWork NSW has released a Code of Practice - ‘Managing the risks to psychological health’ which can be found here. Page 29 of the Code includes a school example on managing psychosocial risk.
SafeWork Australia has also issued a guide on ‘Work-related psychological health and safety: a systematic approach to meeting your duties’ which can be found here.
With the amendments, AISNSW predicts an increased focus by SafeWork NSW on how member schools are managing psychosocial/psychological risks in the workplace.
