Overview
This course builds practical capability to govern psychosocial risk through clear accountability and effective oversight, escalation pathways and assurance mechanisms. It is designed for executives, senior managers, WHS, HR, risk and governance professionals, assurance teams and people leaders responsible for psychological health and safety.
The course is grounded in current Australian WHS expectations: Safe Work Australia requires PCBUs to eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks so far as is reasonably practicable; WorkSafe WA guidance reinforces prevention and management of hazards such as stress, fatigue, burnout, bullying, harassment, violence and aggression. Safe Work Australia data also shows mental health conditions accounted for 12% of serious workers’ compensation claims in 2023-24 and that these claims grew at a faster rate than serious workers’ compensation claims overall over the preceding five years.
Participants will learn how to translate these expectations into governance practice: defining who is accountable, which incidents are escalated, what leaders oversee and what evidence demonstrates psychosocial risk controls are working.
Course Content
- Psychosocial risk governance principles, duties and due diligence expectations
- Accountabilities, decision rights and reporting roles across governance, WHS, HR, risk and line leadership
- Oversight structures, committee cadence, risk appetite signals and governance reporting
- Escalation pathways for emerging, high-consequence or systemic psychosocial risks
- Assurance evidence, indicators, control effectiveness review and action tracking
Course Outcomes
By the end of this course attendees should be able to:
- Explain why psychosocial risk governance requires more than policy, awareness training or incident response
- Map accountabilities and oversight responsibilities across organisational roles and forums
- Design practical escalation pathways for hazards, incidents, trends and control failures
- Identify meaningful reporting indicators and assurance evidence for leaders and governing bodies
- Assess whether psychosocial risk controls are implemented, monitored and reviewed effectively
Benefits to the Individual
- Confidence to translate psychosocial risk duties into practical governance arrangements
- A sharper understanding of what to report, escalate, monitor and verify
- Better questions for leaders, committees and assurance conversations
- Practical tools for clarifying accountability and strengthening follow-through
Benefits to the Organisation
- Clearer ownership of psychosocial risk across leadership, governance and operational roles
- Stronger oversight of risk trends, control effectiveness and unresolved actions
- More consistent escalation before issues become systemic or high-consequence
- Improved assurance evidence, audit readiness and executive decision-making
