Work Design –
Next steps

The term ‘psychosocial’ is confusing enough, but when you toss in phrases like ‘job control’, ‘job demands’ and ‘work design’, it’s not surprising that SMEs start to worry about whether they even understand what their WHS obligations are, let alone whether they are meeting them.

Fortunately, in February 2024, SafeWork NSW developed and published a guide called ‘Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks’.

In our article called “‘Work design’: what it is and what a PCBU needs to know”, we suggested that conducting a work audit of ‘work content’ and ‘work context’ was a good place to start.

This article extracts information from SafeWork NSW’s guide and describes how, based on the information obtained from a work audit, a PCBU can develop a job or task hazard analysis.

A job or task hazard analysis

Step 1 – Flesh out the information from your work audit

Once you’ve got the information about work content and work context, it’s time to flesh out that information so you can better understand it from a WHS point of view.

This step will help with both the ‘job demands’ and ‘job control’ aspect of the Demands – Control model.

You’d be looking for further information such as:

  • The goals of each task – outcome & timeframe.

  • The sequential steps for performing the task.

  • Who needs to do each step – including identification of what skills and/or experience is needed for each step and how the demands may be different for workers with different types of skills or experience.

  • Inter-dependencies – what else the worker need to perform their tasks (for example, other people, resources or information) safely and within the relevant timeframe.

  • Important ‘safety’ decision points – for example, identifying areas where control measures aren’t in place or working (possibly supported by evidence of ‘near misses’), who needs to be notified and how this is to be done).

Step 2 – Include excessive cognitive and emotional demands

This step adds to the ‘demands’ component of the Demands – Control model.

Examples of cognitive demands include:

  • the need to pay attention (especially if attention to detail is required),

  • a good memory,

  • active-listening, and

  • decision-making.

Examples of emotional demands include:

  • a need for the worker to show empathy, respect and be politeness even if the other individual is being rude to the worker, and

  • managers having to make difficult decisions that may affect the workers.

Following these steps should provide a PCBU with a degree of confidence that will enable them to better tackle the management of those psychosocial risks as explained by the Demands – Control model.

More information about this topic can be obtained from the SafeWork NSW’s guide which can be found through this link:
Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks | SafeWork NSW

Next up: Our final article in the Work Design series:
What is Safework NSW looking for?