Psychosocial safety is the latest buzzword in health, safety, and wellbeing circles, and for a good reason. Australia has led the charge in bringing psychosocial hazards into the spotlight, sparking important conversations about why every business must address them.
But when it comes to understanding what psychosocial hazards are, and how to manage them, things can get confusing. There’s a lot of jargon and a lot to get your head around.
So, how do big organisations handle this? In this episode, we explore a case study from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Waka Kotahi, looking at how they structured their approach to psychosocial hazards.
Our guests are Shelley Easton and Ryan Young from NZTA Waka Kotahi, who will walk us through how their organisation used ISO 45003 as a framework. They’ll share how they secured senior leader buy-in, implemented effective controls, and set up systems to continuously monitor their impact. It’s all about making real, meaningful progress – because perfect isn’t the goal.
If you’re a wellbeing champion, HR professional, or health and safety manager, you’ll want to stick around for this one. There’s so much to learn from Waka Kotahi’s experience and plenty of practical takeaways to bring back to your workplace.
“We use a lot of information to paint a picture as opposed to just one stream of data because we know that if you look at one it might not be the full picture.”
– Ryan Young
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Episode insights
Episode Summary
Key points
This episode covers:
- Waka Kotahi’s journey in creating a systematic method to assess and manage psychological harm as a critical risk
- How they used ISO 45003 as a framework to understand and structure psychosocial risk management
- The team’s process for identifying psychosocial hazards through working groups, task analyses, and surveys
- The creation of a non-linear risk bow tie model to visualize threats, controls, and consequences
- Ways to measure the effectiveness of controls, including regular staff engagement surveys and peer-to-peer mental health support networks
- Successful initiatives they’ve implemented, such as financial wellbeing webinars and a mental health first responder program
- Lessons learned and advice for organizations looking to improve their approach to managing psychosocial risks
Detailed summary
1. Importance of addressing psychosocial hazards (00:05 – 04:05)
– New CEO Nicole Rosie’s arrival in 2020 prompted focus on hazard and risk management
– Psychological harm identified as one of five critical risks
– Previous risk assessment lacked systematic approach and clear articulation
2. Framework and process (04:05 – 09:52)
– Adopted ISO 45003 guidelines for managing psychological risk
– Defined psychological risk and divided it into four sections: aspects of work, social factors, traumatic events, and work environment
– Created working groups with passionate and skilled individuals
– Developed non-linear bow tie risk assessment model
3. Identification and assessment of risks (12:01 – 18:43)
– Used ISO framework to target efforts and identify hazards
– Engaged with working groups and business units to understand specific risks
– Conducted task analyses and surveys to gather data
– Developed detailed control measures for each risk area
4. Harmful interactions as a separate critical risk (18:56 – 21:48)
– Separated due to prevalence and increasing severity
– Covers various channels of public interaction, including roadside workers, contact centre, and social media
– Includes both psychological and non-psychological controls
5. Successful strategies and measuring effectiveness (22:18 – 30:03)
– Regular staff engagement surveys every eight weeks
– Peer-to-peer mental health support network
– Analysis of HR data, leave usage, and EAP utilisation
– Group supervision sessions and feedback mechanisms
– Mental Health First Responder programme with 100 trained staff
6. Impact and lessons learned (33:06 – 36:27)
– Dedicated resources for psychosocial safety
– Increased communication and visibility of health, safety, and wellbeing initiatives
– Improved engagement and trends in wellbeing data
– Willingness to invest time and resources in addressing psychosocial hazards
7. Tips for organisations starting this journey (36:41 – 39:16)
– Be willing to start fresh rather than updating old risk assessments
– Collaborate with various groups and subject matter experts
– Be flexible in adapting frameworks to suit organisational needs
– Focus on people and use plain language to increase engagement
The interview highlights Waka Kotahi’s comprehensive approach to managing psychosocial hazards, emphasising the importance of senior leadership support, data-driven decision making, and continuous improvement in creating a psychologically safe workplace.
Additional Notes:
• Waka Kotahi’s journey has taken four years to date
• The organisation uses a risk bow tie model that allows for non-linear relationships between threats, controls, and outcomes
• The Mental Health First Responder programme has trained about 100 staff members to have mental health conversations
• Waka Kotahi’s approach to psychosocial safety earned a “performing” rating in a 2022 Safe Plus assessment
• The organisation aims to achieve a “leading” or “high performing” rating in future assessments
APPLYING THIS TO THE WORKPLACE
If you’re thinking about how to apply this to your workplace, here are some things to consider.
The business case:
• Getting senior leadership on board is essential for successful implementation
• Using frameworks like ISO 45003 provides a structured, systematic approach
• Regular data collection allows for timely interventions and improvements
• Dedicating resources and roles shows the organization’s commitment
• Tackling psychosocial risks positively affects employee wellbeing and engagement
Potential challenges to address:
• Initial lack of a systematic way to assess psychological harm
• Ensuring leadership buy-in from the start
• Previous poor risk articulation and structure
• Complex nature of psychological risk management
• Increasing prevalence of harmful interactions with the public
• Exposure to traumatic events for certain roles (e.g. in this case, the transport operations centre)
• Ongoing organisational change affecting employee wellbeing
Top tips for listeners:
• Don’t be afraid to start fresh when developing a psychosocial risk management approach
• Collaborate widely within the organisation, involving various working groups and subject matter experts
• Be flexible in adapting frameworks to suit the specific needs of the organisation
• Focus on getting started rather than over-analysing or doubting capabilities
• Keep people at the centre of all initiatives and use plain language to enhance engagement
• Regularly collect and analyse data from multiple sources to inform decision-making and measure progress
