In September 2022, UNE was issued with an Improvement Notice from SafeWork NSW, with three Directions to address psychological safety in the workplace.  Responding to SafeWork is linked to the broader UNE Safety Culture and Wellbeing review and the Safe Communities program, encompassing all staff and students.

The Work Place Health & Safety team, Safe Communities Manager and Health & Wellbeing Coordinator have formed a team to implement the Improvement Notice as per the Directions.

1. Direction: Review of work practices

The team has reviewed hundreds of reports, records and interviews back to 2019 to gain a thorough understanding of work practices which may pose or manifest in risks to psychological health and safety. 

This process was underway before the improvement notice was issued, and is the first step to meaningful improvements to existing processes and procedures. As a result of this work – the Hazard Register has been updated to include the full scope of Psychosocial Hazards and risk ratings that reflect current mitigation strategies.

2. Direction: Ensure a safe system of work for reporting, evaluating and investigating identified risks

UNE implemented a digital WHS Management System, SkyTrust, in 2016. Work Health and Safety Manager, Diana Chambers, confirmed SkyTrust provides the mechanism to comply with the second Direction.

“There has been an uplift in Hazards and Incidents reported through SkyTrust since the Improvement Notice was issued.  This is good news as greater awareness of psychological hazards is anticipated to support even greater understanding around types of hazards and work practices that fall into this category.

“The ability for UNE to understand our issues at both a local and organisational level is critical towards ongoing learning and improvement.

“The uplift in reporting is consistent with the revised Hazard Register (Psychosocial Hazards) and an accompanying presentation being rolled out by Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) to their work groups. The weekly People and Culture Newsletter also regularly highlight mechanisms to report psychosocial hazards including the option of anonymous reporting for staff and students via the Grapevine complaint management system.”

3. Direction: Early identification and action

The third and final Direction provides that  the safe system of work should include the early identification of psychological risk factors, the assessment of control measures for their effective management and a timely investigation process.

“People and Culture have implemented several changes to address this Direction, including adding extra regular meetings between P&C Business Partners, Workplace Relations and relevant WHS team members to share information and support early intervention and escalation if needed,” Ms Chambers said.

“The WHS team is also undertaking monthly quality reviews of Hazards and Incidents to review investigations and actions taken on individual incidents or where underlying factors or trends are identified. This process will continue to support programming for prevention of psychosocial hazards and effective solutions when they are identified. It is important to note here that there are often multiple factors to work through to ensure sustainable short and long term measures are in place.”

“A lot has been achieved in the last five months towards understanding and addressing psychosocial hazards . SafeWork NSW have recognised the extent of the progress to date and have granted UNE until June 2023 to finalise our response. This will give greater opportunity for the Safety, Culture and Wellbeing Review and the broader UNE program of work in Safe Communities to be included in the response.”

Implementation of the Safety Culture and Wellbeing Review is on schedule with procurement to be completed in January.

Some key outcomes to watch out for in 2023 include a People Leaders program that will support literacy of mental health issues, prevention within a workplace context and support for wellbeing and recovery.