Mental health in the construction industry is a perennial occupational health and safety (OHS) concern – high levels of suicide, suicide ideation, depression, anxiety, etc, – the usual suspects. Research into this has been robust in Australia, with the work of Professor Helen Lingard and the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce, among others. Recently, I heard about the Wellness in Infrastructure organisation for the first time.
Dean Yates is a prominent Australian speaker on the issue of moral injury. Yesterday, at a WorkSafe Tasmania seminar, Yates brought the 250 attendees up to date on the status of moral injury and its occupational context. Although this seminar was a Safe Work Month event, Yates’ information requires some thought to fit with the occupational health and safety (OHS) and psychological hazards contexts.
Workers and employers seem to be facing more and more traumatic events at work, but are we? An interesting article on the topic (paywalled) was in the UK newspaper The Times on September 27 2025, on the eve of the international Transform Trauma Oxford 2025, which discussed the “concept creep” of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is an important context to consider when preventing psychosocial hazards in the workplace and managing psychological risks.
The Victorian Government plans to introduce legislation regarding psychosocial hazards, similar to that of all other Australian jurisdictions, by the end of 2025. But what workplace changes are expected when this new set of occupational health and safety regulations is enacted? Other States’ laws may provide clues.
We know what employers/leaders do or do not do about psychosocial hazards at work and the psychological impacts. But there is still insufficient discussion on why those leaders make those choices. Recently, Dr Caroline Howe came close to answering the “why” in a blog article for her Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Institute.
The Australian Psychological Services has provided some excellent advice on what to look out for when arranging speakers for October, which is both Mental Health Month and National Safe Work Month.
A recent ABC podcast progressed the discussion of psychosocial hazards at work with important contributions from Amy Edmondson and Dr Rachael Potter. The debate highlights the persistent divide between occupational health and safety (OHS) and Human Resources (HR) regarding these insidious workplace hazards, underscoring the need to bridge this gap.
