Latest news with #SafeWorkAustralia
West Australian
30-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Alan Patching: Toxic workplaces are costing Australian economy millions
Every year thousands of Australians lodge workplace injury claims — not for broken bones but for broken spirits. In 2021-22 there were 11,700 claims for mental health conditions, accounting for more than 9 per cent of all serious workplace injuries. These claims resulted in a median of 34.2 weeks off work at a cost of $58,615 each — four times higher than the median for other types of workplace injuries. A significant proportion of those claims are likely to have stemmed from toxic workplace environments. A toxic workplace is one where employees' mental wellbeing is consistently damaged by destructive behaviours that erode morale and originate from within the organisation. These workplaces are often defined by bullying, harassment, persistent putdowns, lack of support, internal competition, poor teamwork, and leadership driven by fear, favouritism, or excessive control. Any work environment where these traits exist, let alone dominate, is unlikely to support employees' physical or mental health, morale or productivity. That's before you factor in the knock-on effects: reduced motivation, collaboration and communication — and just about every other '-ation' that makes people enjoy their jobs. Interestingly, toxic workplaces might now contravene WorkSafe Australia's recent regulations regarding psychosocial hazards and their impact on workers' mental health. Psychosocial hazards are anything that could cause psychological harm. In other words, anything that could impact someone's mental health by causing stress that could lead to anxiety, depression or a range of other conditions, including but not limited to sleep disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Safe Work Australia identified 14 common workplace psychosocial hazards but others can be identified by individual employers. Even a brief reading of those 14 hazards quickly leads to the conclusion that any workplace that takes psychosocial risk regulations seriously is well on its way to eliminating toxicity. For example, one common psychosocial hazard is giving staff too much work, or too little work, the latter being a typical consequence of a toxic manager's attitude towards a staff member who might have rocked the boat. Violence, bullying, harassment and conflict are other psychosocial hazards, and any of these, let alone a combination, is hardly going to contribute positively to the mental health of those on the receiving end. There are other less attention-getting, but nonetheless corrosive psychosocial hazards, including poor support of workers (especially those under high demand), lack of role and responsibility clarity, and inadequate or inequitable reward and recognition. These are the soul-destroying but often characteristic behaviours of the toxic work environment. The internet is full of well-meaning but often superficial advice on how to deal with workplace toxicity. But tackling the problem is usually much harder than it sounds — at least it was until recently, when new WHS regulations were introduced to address workplace stress. The figures presented earlier make it clear this change was urgently needed. Most business leaders I've spoken with recently were unaware of their obligations to manage psychosocial hazards and the risks they pose. Some didn't even know what psychosocial hazards are. That's a risky way to run any business today. WHS rules don't expect organisations to remove every psychosocial hazard — often an impossible task — but they do require the identification of hazards that are likely to cause problems, and action to manage those risks. If hazards can't be completely removed, they must be reduced as much as possible, and any safety measures put in place should be kept up to date and checked regularly. Organisations are now required to consult all workers when assessing risks or making related decisions, giving them a fair chance to raise psychosocial concerns, share their views, and participate in the process. Several consultation methods are available, including group discussions, private meetings, and anonymous surveys. Importantly, the method of consultation must be agreed upon with workers. Penalties for breaches of the regulations extend to millions of dollars. Toxic workplaces can be eliminated — but only if leaders stop treating mental health as a side issue and start treating it as a legal, strategic and human priority. Alan Patching is a professor of project and construction management at Bond University.
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Motorists in this state will have another speed limit to stick to from July 1
Drivers in the state of Victoria will be required to slow down to 40km/h or less when passing a greater number of roadside services personnel from July. The new law sees the 40km/h speed limit – which already applies to roadside police, fire and ambulance vehicles when their emergency lights are flashing – expand to include tow trucks and roadside assistance vehicles, as well as traffic management and incident response workers. The new law essentially means motorists must slow to 40km/h for any vehicle stopped on the roadside with red, blue, magenta – and now yellow – flashing lights. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Fines of up to $961 apply for drivers for Victoria's 5.2 million licence holders who do not heed to the new law once it comes into effect from July 1, 2025. 'Incident response, roadside assistance and breakdown towing vehicles are there for us when we are in need – this change acknowledges the risks they take and our commitment to keeping them safe,' Victorian roads minister Melissa Horne said in announcing the new rule. 'It is the responsibility of all drivers to familiarise themselves with this road rule and to always slow to 40km/h past responding vehicles – for the safety of workers and all road users.' According to Safe Work Australia, an average of 191 workplace deaths have occurred annually over the past five years. A 2024 survey by the Road Worker Safety Working Group (RWSWG) – formed by Roads Australia – of more than 1100 road workers showed almost one-in-four (353) had witnessed or been part of a 'near miss involving narrowly avoided collision between road worker and member of public'. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Almost one in 10 (96) of those surveyed said they had been 'hit by [a] vehicle involving [a] collision between [a] road worker and member of public'. The new rules apply to drivers in every lane on multi-lane roads, but do not apply to vehicles travelling on the opposite side of a divided road. Drivers are also not required to wait until the next speed limit signpost to increase their speed beyond 40km/h once past the emergency vehicle/s and worker/s. It makes Victoria the last state/territory in Australia to make the move, extending existing Road Rule 79A that has required motorists to slow for emergency vehicles – anything with red, blue or magenta flashing lights – since it was introduced in 2017. Victoria had the third-highest number of road deaths (281) behind New South Wales (340) and Queensland (302) in a record Australian road toll in 2024. It was the fourth consecutive annual increase in the number of deaths and the highest figure recorded – at 1300 – on Australian roads in more than a decade.
