WorkSafe has issued new guidance for employers on identifying, preventing, managing and respond to workplace bullying.
Bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed at a person or group that creates a risk to health and safety and can cause psychological or physical harm, or both. Under the OHS Act, employers must provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes physical and psychological risks to health.
WorkSafe’s new publication Bullying: A guide for employers explains what workplace bullying is, who is most at risk, and how it affects people. It breaks down the employer’s duty to prevent and manage bullying into five steps:
· Identify the hazards – Reviewing internal information from organisational or operations records, human resources and OHS information, workplace observations, and employee reports are some ways of identifying bullying hazards. Employers must consult with employees and any HSRs when identifying hazards.
· Assess the risks – Conducting risk assessments can help employers work out the seriousness of the risks, which employees are at risk, and how multiple psychosocial hazards may combine and interact to increase the risk of harm. Employers must consult with employees and any HSRs when assessing the risks.
· Control the risks – Risks must be eliminated, so far as is reasonably practicable. If risks cannot be eliminated, they must be reduced, so far as is reasonably practicable. This must be achieved by following the hierarchy of controls. Employers must consult with employees and any HSRs when determining controls.
· Review the risk controls –Examining the implemented control measures can identify the control measures that are not effective and must be revised so that they are controlling the risk, so far as is reasonably practicable. How a review is conducted will vary depending on the situation- in some cases a brief analysis may be sufficient, but at other times, a documented, in-depth review may be required. Employers must consult with employees and any HSRs when determining controls.
· How to respond to reports – This section offers in-depth guidance on how to encourage employees to report bullying, how to provide options for how employees can report, how to ensure confidentiality so far as is possible, how to review and investigate reports and record the outcomes, and how to refer employees to other agencies if required.
WorkSafe have included four case studies in the guide to show examples of how bullying may manifest and how it may be managed in different settings – healthcare, construction, retail and an office environment.
You can learn more about bullying at our OHS Reps Bullying and Violence page. VTHC also offer Safe Respectful Workplaces and Bystander Action Training at their Victorian Labour College.