The Minns Labor Government is boosting workplace mental health, with additional SafeWork NSW mental health-focussed inspectors now deployed.
The NSW Government is adding 20 psychosocial inspectors as part of 51 additional inspectors overall – SafeWork NSW’s largest ever uplift in inspectors.
This move represents an increase of more than 12 per cent to active inspectors.
This boost forms part of the NSW Government’s record investment of $127.7 million over four years to SafeWork NSW to improve work health and safety outcomes.
The major uplift also forms part of the $344 million of the NSW Government’s Workplace Mental Health package for strengthening mental health support and injury prevention strategies.
It demonstrates the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to better supporting workers and businesses to understand and prevent psychological harm in modern workplaces.
These new inspectors bring expertise in areas such as psychology, workers compensation, anti bullying, youth mentoring, and trauma-informed approaches that will be used to prevent and address psychosocial risks in workplaces across NSW.
This expansion to the inspectorate will help prevent workplace hazards before they lead to injury and become workers compensation claims.
SafeWork NSW undertakes hundreds of proactive visits for psychosocial safety each year.
The expanded SafeWork NSW inspectorate sharpens the agency’s nation-leading focus on psychological health at work by:
- Issuing on-the-spot fines and improving compliance and enforcement.
- Responding to psychosocial incidents reported to SafeWork NSW.
- Developing dedicated resources and promoting psychological injury prevention.
- Giving workers and employers a specialised first point of contact for all mental-health related concerns.
- Helping employers meet their return-to-work obligations to injured workers.
- The NSW Government is also establishing the Psychosocial Advisory Service, that will provide workers and business owners with tailored advice on managing psychosocial safety at work.
NSW was also the first state to implement a psychosocial specific code of practice that covered all psychosocial hazards and all workplaces. NSW led the country in creating a focus on workplaces to focus on work design to prevent psychosocial hazards from occurring.
This shows SafeWork NSW’s commitment to its regulatory priority of managing psychosocial risks at work, including sexual harassment.
Other common psychosocial hazards include excessive workloads, exposure to traumatic events, bullying and harassment.
Workers who have concerns about workplace health and safety can anonymously contact SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or through the Speak Up Save Lives website.
Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:
“The new psychosocial inspectors are not just supporting workers, but also businesses, to make sure they understand their obligations, and know how to create a culture of safety in the workplace.
“This is about prevention. When psychosocial hazards are addressed early, we see fewer injuries, fewer disputes, and better outcomes for workers and employers. “These inspectors are one part of what our Government is doing to make sure that we have mentally healthy workplaces across the state.
“I am very proud that NSW is leading the way with these specialised inspectors who have incredible skills and experience in mental health.”
SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said:
“One of the most significant developments in work health and safety is the growing recognition that psychological harms are as damaging as physical harm. “Recognising and managing both physical and psychological risks is an essential part of creating safe, healthy and productive workplaces. “The new psychosocial focused inspectors will strengthen early detection of psychological risks at places of employment and enable timely interventions to prevent harm before it occurs.”
Source: SafeWork NSW
