Guidelines for managing psychological health and safety at work (ISO 45003 – the world’s first International Standard on these things)

During this podcast we hear from Organisational Psychologist, Frank O’Connor, who played a major part in the development of the standard, and registered psychologist, Naomi Armitage. We learn about ISO 45003 and unpack this standard to better understand and manage how psychological health and safety can be improved within a working environment.

Frank & Naomi’s Highlights

2:45 - Identifying a Psychosocial Hazard

3:55 - Why the ISO Standard was Developed

6.48 - How Boards and Executives Should Look at Managing Psychological Safety Risk

9.05 - How the Standard was Developed

11.44 - How the Standard will Assist Organisations in Responding to Managing Psychosocial Risks

14.04 - The Challenges and most Efficient ways to Implement the Standard

19.00 - The Three Things Organisations Could Do Tomorrow to Start to Work Through the Standard

22.30 - The Key Factors that will Lead to the Successful Management of Psychological Health and Safety at Work

24.05 - The Benefits of Creating a Psychologically Safe Organisation

25.12 - What do Organisations who are Successful at Managing Psychosocial Risks Look Like?

Identifying a Psychosocial Hazard

Psychosocial hazards are things that reduce or decrease the mental healthiness of workers (or managers). In a work environment, you must look at the things that make you feel better about what you are doing. Focussing your thoughts to question what you do and whether you are doing a good job can impact your mental health. Identifying these psychosocial hazards and finding ways to manage them are crucial to any workplace.

Why the ISO Standard was Developed

Work capacity loss of more than 4% of GDP is caused by burnout, stress, depression, and other psychosocial sources. Depression is a major health problem which already exists in the workplace. This standard was developed as guidance in the mental and psychological space because health and safety has tended to be physical.

How Boards and Executives Should Look at Managing Psychological Safety Risk

Companies are already expressing interest. Some have made a good start. Queries are coming through from others. A systematic approach will be adapted to suit different situations as boards invest more into how they can successfully manage and improve psychological health and safety in the workplace.

How the Standard was Developed

Standards have grown in the different countries that are interested in them. As a timeline, the standard was proposed in June of 2018 and development was approved in August of 2018. Drafting of the standard started in January 2020 and finished in January 2021. It was published by the 8th of June 2021. The ISO 45003 is the work of hundreds of people in industry and academia, including the input of many Australians.

How the Standard will Assist Organisations in Responding to Managing Psychosocial Risks

1. Brings an organisational focus into managing psychosocial risks — it was predominately individually focussed.
2. Feeds innovation - adaptation gets better because collaboration is easy where friction is lower. Working well together means thinking well together.
3. ISO 45 003 gives examples and principles, but it doesn’t give solutions. It depends on the risk to the particular people and the work situation. Just like the risk of flooding at work depends of where you are and what work is done.

The Challenges and most Efficient ways to Implement the Standard

The most efficient way to implement the standard is by taking a systematic

Approach: work through the standard and see what the company is already succeeding in, then identify any high-priority gaps. One of the main challenges of using the standard is that it could become a compliance exercise. At present, companies are light on the first step of hazard identification as they don’t know what to look for or what the common ones are. The standard helps here.

The Three Things Organisations Could Do Tomorrow to Start to Work Through the Standard

1. Look at Section 6 of ISO 45003. Have a look at the list of hazards and ask: “What are we doing around here that already does something about this?” You want to hang on to the things you are doing well.
2. Learn what the likely hazards are and find the courage to do something about it if you find some that matter at your workplaces.
3. Fatigue and sleep quality should be discussed more openly – they matter in most workplaces, and improvements can be quickly made.

The Key Factors that will Lead to the Successful Management of Psychological Health and Safety at Work

Put psychological health under a safety lens. Treat it like any other physical hazard in your work environment. Look at what enables better decisions. How can your leaders facilitate action that improves psychological safety along with creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up about something that’s doing harm?

The Benefits of Creating a Psychologically Safe Organisation

One of the major benefits of creating a psychologically safe organisation is the high collaboration and business improvement processes it requires. By creating a psychologically safe organisation, you allow employees to feel more valued at work.

What do Organisations who are Successful at Managing Psychosocial Risks Look Like?

Large-scale organisations are curious, and they like to try things out. They are measuring and where it is working and considering where it could be working better. To measure this, we look at standard safety metrics and productivity returns from harm prevented. Despite taking a while to implement, moving towards a mental incident measure will ensure we are focussing on the good side, just as it has with firms who are now used to counting days without time lost to physical injuries.

Resources:

Indicator Tool for the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards, which predate ISO 45003 by some 15 years. https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/index.htm