Work Design –
What is Safework NSW looking for?

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’.

That guide provides some hints about what SafeWork NSW’s expectations of PCBUs are when it comes to managing psychosocial risks through work design.

We have summarised some of those hints in this article.

What Safework NSW inspectors will be looking for

In this guide, SafeWork NSW has indicated that it will expect PCBUs to be able to show an inspector:

How they have:

  • Genuinely consulted with workers and taken their views into account (page 21).

  • Made decisions based on sound information (page 27).

That they have:

  • Workload planning and review systems in place (where ‘workload’ means the amount of work to be achieved and the difficulty to do the work in the allowed time). Workers should be encouraged to promptly report workload issues and feel comfortable suggesting practical solutions to their supervisors so they can be promptly addressed (page 23).

  • Taken into account the fact that some workers may be at higher risk from the same psychological and physical hazards due to attributes such as being inexperienced or coming from a non-English-speaking background (page 24).

  • Proof that the cost of a control measure was not reasonable - note that ‘not knowing about the availability or cost of a control measure, in circumstances when you should know’ will not be accepted as a valid excuse (page 27).

Other suggestions to be aware of include:

  • The fact that an inspector may ask to:

    • see copies of relevant records, and

    • speak privately with workers and managers (page 37)

  • That task rotation should not be an organisation’s main control measure - it should only be a short-term intervention until better design solutions can be put into place (page 25).

  • That organisations should ‘improve the work person fit’ by carefully considering the inherent requirements of the role during its recruitment processes while still abiding with anti-discrimination laws (at page 24).

  • Interventions that do not eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks, for example:

    • mental health awareness programs (such as Employee Assistance Programs and mental health de-stigmatisation programs), and

    • physical well-being programs (such as yoga, weight loss, gym, exercise or healthy eating programs),

    are not sufficient psychosocial risk control measures (at page 26).

The guide also provides the following templates for a PCBU to use:

  • a Task Hazard Analysis Template (at page 31), and

  • a Work Design Checklist (page 37).

Work design can be affected by people in different roles at different levels of the business

Work design is not only determined by senior management.

All roles at all levels throughout the organisation can influence work design.

Sometimes, work design decisions will be influenced by external parties such as clients and suppliers (for example, where clients have unrealistic expectations or suppliers are unable to meet deadlines).

Examples include (from page 14):

  • Organisational leaders (CEO, Officers, senior executives): by setting organisational strategy, priorities, governance, and structure; monitoring performance; and allocating resources.

  • Project and contract managers: by planning and coordinating projects; managing client and supplier relationships.

  • Line managers: by organising and allocating tasks; giving instructions; supervising individuals; setting and monitoring performance expectations; and giving practical support.

  • Information technology: by designing and purchasing software that dictates workflows and timeframes; and making sure staff know how to use the software.

  • Engineers and architects: by designing equipment, processes, structures, and site layouts.

  • Accounting and finance: by allocating budget to priorities, staff and resources; and replacing or repairing equipment.

  • Human resources: by setting recruitment processes, pay, conditions and working arrangements including rostering policies and performance management systems.

  • WHS: by setting WHS strategy priorities; choosing WHS management systems; advising leadership on WHS matters including work design.

  • Maintenance areas: by setting processes for when and how plant/equipment is inspected, tested and serviced.

  • Teams and individual workers: by deciding how to do tasks (to the extent they have job control), providing feedback on work design options, and contributing to norms around behaviours.

This article is a summary of parts of the guide. A full copy of the guide can be obtained from the SafeWork NSW’s website through this link:
Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks | SafeWork NSW