Psychosocial Hazards Based on ISO 45003

Employees who feel psychologically unsafe on the job are 80% more likely to report workplace injuries requiring medical attention and time off. Poor psychological health has significant implications for organizations. It can result in high employee turnover, reduced productivity, and poor job performance. 

The ISO 45003 psychological health and safety standards are the first in the world. Our working lives considerably impact our overall psychological well-being, which in turn affects our work performance, creating a vicious cycle that benefits no one. ISO 45003 positions psychosocial and physical safety as equally important, which could be life-changing for workers regardless of industry.

How ISO 45003 Helps Prevent Psychosocial Hazards

International Standards Organization (ISO) 45003, “Occupational health and safety management — Psychological health and safety at work” is the first global standard designed to assist organizations in managing psychosocial risk in the workplace as part of occupational health and safety management. The standard was launched in June 2021, and includes information on how to recognize psychosocial hazards that affect workers, and provides practical ways to reduce these risks. 

ISO 45003 gives organizations a formal framework that they can use to assess how they manage psychosocial risks. It allows them to manage psychosocial injuries in the same way they would physical ones — as part of health and safety. 

Although the 45003 guideline was initially written to support organizations with ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management systems, any organization can benefit from these global best practices. It can help build a positive work environment, enhancing employee satisfaction and productivity. 

What Are the Psychosocial Hazards Outlined in ISO 45003? 

ISO 45003 has identified the top psychosocial hazards in the workplace. The list of ISO 45003 psychosocial hazards is comprehensive, but organizations should focus on placing them under three principal headings.

Aspects of How Work Is Organized

This section focuses on the dynamics and flow of work, from roles and expectations to autonomy and job demands. Some of the top psychosocial hazards in this section include:

• Role ambiguity: Employees who experience a lack of clarity regarding their role and the accompanying expectations could be at risk. Role ambiguity can also include role conflict, as well as expectations within a role that conflict with one another, such as providing detailed reports and spending less time on reports. In addition, employees are at psychosocial risk if they experience uncertainty about tasks and work standards, or if their organization changes them frequently. 
• Job control and autonomy: Employees function best when they control their workload and can participate in decision-making. Lack of control or independence in these areas can lead to dissatisfaction, frustration, and depression. 
• Job demands: When the demands of someone’s position are conflicting, unrealistic, or underutilize an employee’s skills, they may experience an adverse psychological reaction. Some hazards include conflicting deadlines, performing repetitive or meaningless tasks, excessive requirements for concentration, and working with aggressive or distressed people. 
• Organizational change: Change is a source of anxiety for many people, and lack of practical support or communication can magnify these feelings, particularly if the restructuring is drawn out over an extended period. 
• Remote and isolated work: Psychosocial risks include working far from an employee’s support network and in remote locations without social interaction. 
• Workload and pace: Working in a high-stress environment can harm psychological health and well-being, mainly when employees are overloaded or underloaded with work, experience time pressure, or continually push to meet deadlines. 
• Work hours and schedule: When employees are subject to a lack of variety in their work, inflexible schedules, unpredictable hours, fragmented work, shift work, or long and unsociable hours, they are at psychosocial risk. 
• Job security or dangerous work: Uncertainty or precarious work situations can result in considerable stress, including lack of clarity about work availability, low-paying or insecure jobs, and working in situations not covered or protected by labor law. 

Social Factors at Work

Challenging social factors in the workplace can have significant consequences for employees. Common psychosocial risk factors in the workplace include:

• Interpersonal relationships: Poor communication between managers, coworkers, supervisors, or clients is a significant risk. Other issues can include interpersonal conflict, bullying, harassment, and violence. 
• Leadership: Leadership can have far-reaching psychosocial consequences for employees at all levels. Potential leadership risk factors include lack of clear vision and objectives, withholding information, failure to listen to complaints and suggestions, inadequate support and communication, lack of accountability and fairness, and inconsistent or unsatisfactory decision-making.
• Organizational culture: Employees respond to the culture they work in, and poor communication, lack of problem-solving and personal development support, lack of clarity on corporate vision and objectives, unfair decision-making, and inconsistent or poorly timed policy implementation can all lead to stress and anxiety. 
• Recognition and reward: Lack of acknowledgment and appreciation of employees’ efforts or an imbalance between workers’ efforts and the recognition and rewards they receive can quickly lead to frustration, lack of satisfaction, and high employee turnover. 
• Career development: Lack of opportunity for skill development, career stagnation, and under- or over-promotion are all psychosocial risks. 
• Support: Lack of support from supervisors and coworkers poses a significant risk, including limited access to information and formal support services, and lack of training. 
• Supervision: Managers and supervisors must manage employee supervision carefully to avoid psychosocial consequences. Common risks include a lack of constructive feedback, encouragement, communication, support, fairness, and shared vision across your organization. 
• Respect and civility: Employees can become severely anxious and unhappy in environments that lack trust, respect, fairness, and courtesy in internal and external interpersonal interactions. 
• Balance: Work-life balance is one of the most critical aspects of psychosocial safety, and situations in which employees’ tasks, roles, or schedules result in them working in their own time can be damaging. 
• Violence, bullying, and harassment: Employees should feel safe in their work environment. Explicit or implicit threats to health, safety, and well-being, physical or verbal assaults, unwanted and offensive behaviors, or intimidation based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion pose a severe risk. These behaviors can manifest in many ways, including name-calling, public criticism, assigning unfavorable tasks or impossible deadlines, and malicious gossip. 

Work Environment, Equipment, and Hazardous Tasks

This section involves any lack of physical safety in an employee’s work environment, including:

• Lack of equipment availability, sustainability, or maintenance. 
• Poor workplace conditions, including excessive noise, inadequate lighting, and limited space. 
• Inadequate tools, equipment, and resources to complete required tasks. 
• Extreme working conditions, including height, and high or low temperatures. 
• Unstable environments such as conflict zones. 

What Can Your Organization Do to Address Mental Health in the Workplace?

Did you know that only 26% of leaders create psychosocial safety for their teams? ISO 45003 provides leaders and safety professionals with the framework to take proactive steps toward a psychologically safe and healthy work environment.

Using the risk factors above, you can identify opportunities for improvement and take the necessary action. Methods to address psychological health and safety in your organization include:

• Strengthen your workplace culture: Create a psychosocial climate that promotes mental health and reduces risks, starting with leadership and working through every team.
• Create a checklist: Construct a psychosocial hazard checklist based on your business processes and the risks outlined in ISO 45003. Work off this list when you experience organizational changes or employee feedback to take a proactive approach to psychosocial safety. 
• Make ISO 45003 part of your company policy: By integrating ISO 45003 into your company policy, you normalize psychological injuries so your team will be more comfortable talking about their struggles. In addition, it will positively impact your business reputation and build an open, inclusive organizational culture. 
• Invest in comprehensive training: Safety professionals should all have training on ISO 45003 so they understand the basics of the standard and how to meet the guidelines. 

Learn More About Psychosocial Safety With NASP

ISO 45003 is an excellent starting point for identifying and reducing psychosocial hazards in the workplace. At the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP), we believe in a practical approach to workplace safety and helping safety professionals provide workplace safety training for employees. 

Our Certified Safety Manager certificate, Human and Organizational Performance certificate and Behavior Based Safety Specialist course are excellent options for understanding how to increase psychosocial safety in your workplace. Contact us today to learn more about our training and consulting services. 

Register for our live Psychological Health & Safety Specialist Classroom course today!