World Day for Safety and Health at Work: Prioritising Psychosocial Safety
Every 28 April, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work reminds us to reflect on what true workplace safety really means. While physical hazards often take centre stage, there’s an equally critical area that deserves our attention: psychosocial safety.
From workplace stress and harassment to occupational aggression, psychosocial hazards can have serious consequences on employee wellbeing and organisational performance. It’s time we treat them with the same seriousness as physical risks.
What Are Psychosocial Hazards?
Psychosocial hazards refer to aspects of work that can cause psychological or emotional harm. These include:
- Workplace aggression or violence
- Bullying and harassment
- High job demands and low control
- Poor organisational support
- Customer abuse in front-line roles
According to Safe Work Australia, managing these risks is now a legal obligation under workplace health and safety laws.
The Hidden Toll of Workplace Aggression
Employees in customer-facing roles, such as retail, healthcare, finance, and public service, are increasingly exposed to verbal abuse, aggression, and intimidation. These interactions can result in:
- Heightened stress and burnout
- Increased absenteeism
- Reduced morale and productivity
- Higher staff turnover
Without the right support, these impacts ripple across entire teams and departments.
Proactive Training: Workplace Aggression Course
To empower organisations to tackle these issues head-on, we’ve launched our new Workplace Aggression course.
This course provides staff and managers with:
- Practical de-escalation techniques
- Insight into common psychosocial risks
- Tools to implement organisational controls
- Guidance for building psychologically safe workplaces
It’s part of our broader suite of compliance training courses available on Salt® LMS, designed to promote safer, fairer and more inclusive work environments.
Building Safer Workplaces Together
Creating a safe workplace isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes. It means actively cultivating a culture where employees feel valued, protected, and heard.
This World Day for Safety and Health at Work, let’s commit to:
- Identifying psychosocial risks
- Providing targeted training and support
- Fostering a culture of respect and inclusion
Explore our full Psychosocial Hazards training for more ways to improve mental wellbeing and safety at work.
Want to take action?
Contact us today about rolling out this training across your organisation. Or try Salt® LMS on mobile for accessible, flexible training wherever your team is.
