Workplace health and safety is important for all people in all working environments.
Almost 29,000 WorkSafe claims were made in Victoria in the 2020/21 financial year, which is the highest number of claims made since 2011/12.
At CatholicCare Victoria we have an ongoing commitment towards the health and safety of our team and our community.
With World Day for Safety and Health at Work coming up on 28 April, we’ll take a look at three workplace health and safety topics from WorkSafe Victoria, and what you can do to prevent or mitigate health and safety risks.
Fatigue in the workplace
WorkSafe Victoria outlines three types of fatigue that can occur in the workplace: physical fatigue, mental fatigue, and emotional fatigue.
- Physical fatigue is the ‘physical exhaustion and reduced ability to engage in physical activities, such as manual labour’.
- Mental fatigue is described as ‘mental exhaustion and reduced ability to engage in cognitive activities, such as making decisions’.
- And emotional fatigue is ‘emotional exhaustion and reduced ability to engage in emotional activities, such as empathising with or caring for others’.
Fatigue in the workplace can be caused by (but is not limited to) working long hours; working during the natural time for sleep; inadequate sleep or recuperation time; or an imbalance between the demands of someone’s job and the support provided to them to manage those demands.
The effects
The short-term effects of fatigue can include reduced performance, headaches, blurred vision, increased stress levels, appearing withdrawn, concentration difficulties, impaired judgement, and disorganisation.
Long-term effects of fatigue can include heart disease, high blood pressure, mental health issues, and burnout.
Prevention and mitigation
If you’re experiencing fatigue or if you think risks of work-related fatigue could be managed better in your workplace, speak with your manager or your OH&S workplace representative.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including getting adequate sleep, nutritious meals, and regular exercise can also help prevent fatigue.
If your job is interfering with your ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle, speak with your workplace about what can be changed to fix this. Speaking with your GP can also help with fatigue recovery and mitigation.
Highest number of WorkSafe Victoria claims by industry in the 2020/21 financial year:
5555 claims made in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry
4334 claims made in the Manufacturing industry
4004 claims made in the Construction industry
2398 claims made in the Public Administration and Safety industry
Occupational violence and aggression
WorkSafe Victoria describes occupational violence and aggression as ‘when a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in a situation related to their work’. Occupational violence and aggression can come from anyone, including clients, customers, the public, and co-workers.
Examples of violence and aggression can include yelling, swearing, shoving, tripping, eye rolling, standing over someone, threats of violence, sexual assault, and any other type of violence or unacceptable behaviour.
While violence and aggression can happen in any industry, WorkSafe Victoria mentions that it is most common in industries including health, aged care, disability, youth services, education, law enforcement, retail, hospitality, security, cash-handling, finance and banking.
Prevention and mitigation
As a preventative measure, every workplace should promote a culture where violence and aggression are not acceptable. But it’s also important for workplaces to identify and manage risks for occupational violence and aggression.
If you think your workplace could manage occupational violence and aggression risks better, speak with your manager or your OH&S work representative.
If you or a colleague has experienced occupational violence or aggression, WorkSafe Victoria outlines several steps to take:
- Ensure safety first for all people, and provide first aid / medical treatment where needed
- Provide access to support, either practical or emotional
- Provide a coordinated response (work together as a team!)
- Record incident details, including names, dates, and other related factors including effects of the incident
- Conduct an incident review or investigation
- Notify your workplace OH&S representative
It can be difficult to talk about an experience of violence or aggression, but asking for support and following up with your workplace can ensure you get the help you need, and it can help prevent future occupational violence and aggression risks in your workplace.
Mental health
WorkSafe Victoria describes mental health as a ‘state of wellbeing that allows people to realise their potential while coping with the ordinary challenges of life’.
Mental ill health can range from feeling down or hopeless, feeling anxious or stressed, or feeling a lack of purpose or sense of contribution.
While it’s natural to experience some stress in the workplace (we all have our good and bad days!), ongoing mental health risks can have unwanted and long-term effects.
Some work-related factors which can contribute to mental ill health include high and low job demands, poor support, low role clarity, low recognition and reward, remote or isolated work, traumatic events, and poor environmental conditions such as poor air quality and high noise levels.
Prevention and mitigation
To develop a mentally healthy workplace, it’s important to develop a culture where everyone feels safe and supported to talk about mental health.
It’s also important that mental health support is tailored for all individuals and teams, and that mental health risks and hazards are identified and managed in an ongoing manner.
Speak with your manager, OH&S representative, and/or your GP if you’re struggling with ill mental health. By doing so, you may be able to establish changes both in the workplace and at home to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Preventing health and safety issues in the workplace
WorkSafe Victoria outlines a four-step process to managing risks in the workplace.
These are to:
- Identify hazards
- Assess the risks
- Control the risks
- Monitor and review hazards and control measures
To learn more about workplace health and safety topics and how to manage risks for each, visit the WorkSafe Victoria website here: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/safety-topics
Liz Gellel | Marketing Coordinator – Digital Lead
Sources: WorkSafe Victoria
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