Have a reporting mechanism and encourage reporting

You should establish a mechanism for workers to report hazards. This should protect the privacy of workers who make reports and allow for anonymous reporting where possible. Your reporting mechanism should suit your business size and circumstances and be proportional to the risks in your business. For example, an agency/organisation could have a board in the communal area for workers to write up hazards they identify, a locked box for making confidential reports, an email address to raise issues and the duty manager taking reports of any hazards posing an immediate risk.

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It is important for hazards reported by workers be taken seriously. Workers can be encouraged to report hazards by:

\- making it clear that workers can use work time to report psychosocial hazards treating all reports of psychosocial hazards seriously, appropriately and confidentially
\- using agreed mechanisms, such as HSRs who can raise safety concerns for workers anonymously
\- regularly discussing psychosocial hazards at team meetings or toolbox talks
\- providing workers with support and a range of accessible and user-friendly ways to make a report informally, formally, anonymously or confidentially
\- making it clear that victimising those who make reports will not be tolerated
\- training key workers (e.g. supervisors, managers, contact persons and HSRs)
\- ensuring processes and systems for reporting and responding to complaints of bullying, harassment or other poor behaviours are appropriate, transparent and well understood, and
\- acting decisively to control the risks your workers identify.

Your hazards and risks reporting system should be appropriate and proportional for your organisation and the risks in your workplace. For example, a large organisation with previous instances of violent behaviour should consider a formal system with documented procedures. In contrast, a small business with no previous instances of violent or aggressive behaviour may not require a formal system and could instead encourage workers to discuss hazards with supervisors as required and have a method of reporting and recording details.

4 A circular diagram of the continual risk management process. The circle is divided into four parts to highlight the four steps. The second part is coloured in red to highlight the second step in the process, which is 'Assess risks'.Assess the risks

4.1 When should a risk assessment be conducted?

Once you have identified psychosocial hazards in your workplace, the next step is to assess the risks they create. This will help you determine what is reasonably practicable in managing the risks.

You should carry out a risk assessment, in consultation with workers and their HSRs if they have them, for any hazards you have identified. However, if you already know what the risks are and how to control them effectively, you can implement the controls without undertaking a risk assessment and then check to confirm these have been effective.