Kate, Greg and Rod are back at the bar for Part 2 of their conversation. And no – they aren’t really catching fish! They are identifying and controlling psychosocial hazards, by diving into the messy reality of psychosocial risk, where nothing is neat, linear, or easily solved. In this part of the conversation, they unpack five categories of psychosocial hazards - and the overlaps and intersections that Rod researched to design this approach. The question “are all hazards equal” and therefore should they all attract equal attention and resources is debated. It was no surprise to Kate that Rod’s research identifies the biggest troublemaker (when considering the dynamic between hazard and harm) is interpersonal hazards. Yes – humans can be very harmful hazards!
Kate, Greg and Rod are back at the bar for Part 2 of their conversation. And no – they aren’t really catching fish! They are identifying and controlling psychosocial hazards, by diving into the messy reality of psychosocial risk, where nothing is neat, linear, or easily solved.
In this part of the conversation, they unpack five categories of psychosocial hazards - and the overlaps and intersections that Rod researched to design this approach. The question “are all hazards equal” and therefore should they all attract equal attention and resources is debated. It was no surprise to Kate that Rod’s research identifies the biggest troublemaker (when considering the dynamic between hazard and harm) is interpersonal hazards. Yes – humans can be very harmful hazards!
From there, the conversation shifts from “what are the hazards?” to “what are we actually doing about them?”— and the answer isn’t more policies. It’s about designing a multi-layer approach to control systems, and moving away from a list of controls for individual hazards. This means designing controls from organisational culture through to what actually happens on the frontline
This episode confronts the hard truth - organisations can tick all the legal and regulatory compliance boxes and people can still be psychologically harmed. Because managing legal risk isn’t the same as managing human impact.
The big takeaway? If you want to make a dent in psychosocial risk, start where it matters most—how people treat each other, and how leaders lead—and have systems in place to assure that what’s written on paper actually shows up in the day-to-day.
Connect with us:
LinkedIn – Kate Connors
LinkedIn – Greg Smith
LinkedIn – Dr Rod Gutierrez
LinkedIn – EML
Resources:
“The Net Effect – an ecosystems approach to psychosocial risk management.”
Elemental Psychology & Coaching website
Greg Smith – Safety Books Proving Safety and Paper Safe
EML website
EML Psychosocial resources – Mutual Benefits https://www.eml.com.au/news-community/latest-news/reduce-psychosocial-risks-in-workplaces/
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