Part Job demands - Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024 - Job demands

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Job demands

Note: Some of these examples of hazards may not create psychosocial risks on their own but may do so if combined with other hazards. Some hazards may only create risks on their own when severe. Consider all hazards present and the circumstances to determine what is reasonably practicable to manage the risks.

High physical demands	- long, irregular or unpredictable work-hours (e.g. doing shift work or being on call)- insufficient breaks (e.g. breaks are infrequent, too short, strictly scheduled or regularly interrupted)- not being able to recover between periods of work (e.g. being expected to work afterhours, be on call, or return to work with insufficient rest and sleep)- not having opportunities to use leave entitlements- high workloads (e.g. having too much to do)- physically demanding, challenging or tiring work (e.g. undertaking hazardous manual tasks or strenuous physical tasks), and- time pressures or fast paced work (e.g. unreasonable deadlines or computer/machine paced work).- Note: work that involves challenging work hours or shift work is associated with a greater risk of fatigue.
High mental or cognitive demands	- complex tasks frequently or severely exceeding a worker’s capacity or competency (e.g., workers lack the training, resources, skills, authority or experience to reasonably or successfully do tasks)- sustained levels of concentration or vigilance particularly when accuracy is required, or workers are looking for infrequent events (e.g. long-distance driving or security monitoring)- work where errors may have high reputational, legal, career, safety or financial risks (e.g. air traffic control, medical care or decisions affecting a large number of people)- absence of systems to prevent individual errors (e.g. relying on workers to memorise information or perform manual calculations without checks),- repeatedly or rapidly switching tasks so it is difficult to concentrate and complete tasks (e.g. being frequently interrupted or having to do numerous things at once), and- Note: work that involves complex tasks and high concentration is associated with a greater risk of fatigue
High emotional demands	- responding to distressing or emotional situations (e.g. dealing with confrontation)- managing other people’s emotions (e.g. de-escalating an aggressive situation, undertaking disciplinary processes or assisting people who are distressed)- providing support or empathy (e.g. conveying bad news, providing advocacy or counselling)- suppressing emotions or displaying false emotions (e.g. nursing staff hiding distress for patients or retail workers pretending friendliness with difficult customers), and- Note: work that involves emotional labour or providing emotional support is associated with a greater risk of fatigue.

High physical demands

- long, irregular or unpredictable work-hours (e.g. doing shift work or being on call)- insufficient breaks (e.g. breaks are infrequent, too short, strictly scheduled or regularly interrupted)- not being able to recover between periods of work (e.g. being expected to work afterhours, be on call, or return to work with insufficient rest and sleep)- not having opportunities to use leave entitlements- high workloads (e.g. having too much to do)- physically demanding, challenging or tiring work (e.g. undertaking hazardous manual tasks or strenuous physical tasks), and- time pressures or fast paced work (e.g. unreasonable deadlines or computer/machine paced work).- Note: work that involves challenging work hours or shift work is associated with a greater risk of fatigue.

High mental or cognitive demands

- complex tasks frequently or severely exceeding a worker’s capacity or competency (e.g., workers lack the training, resources, skills, authority or experience to reasonably or successfully do tasks)- sustained levels of concentration or vigilance particularly when accuracy is required, or workers are looking for infrequent events (e.g. long-distance driving or security monitoring)- work where errors may have high reputational, legal, career, safety or financial risks (e.g. air traffic control, medical care or decisions affecting a large number of people)- absence of systems to prevent individual errors (e.g. relying on workers to memorise information or perform manual calculations without checks),- repeatedly or rapidly switching tasks so it is difficult to concentrate and complete tasks (e.g. being frequently interrupted or having to do numerous things at once), and- Note: work that involves complex tasks and high concentration is associated with a greater risk of fatigue

High emotional demands

- responding to distressing or emotional situations (e.g. dealing with confrontation)- managing other people’s emotions (e.g. de-escalating an aggressive situation, undertaking disciplinary processes or assisting people who are distressed)- providing support or empathy (e.g. conveying bad news, providing advocacy or counselling)- suppressing emotions or displaying false emotions (e.g. nursing staff hiding distress for patients or retail workers pretending friendliness with difficult customers), and- Note: work that involves emotional labour or providing emotional support is associated with a greater risk of fatigue.

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