Laing O'Rourke > Fatal & Severe Risks (FSRs) > Psychosocial Hazards

PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS

At Laing O’Rourke, we know that managing physical risk alone, is not enough.

Psychosocial hazards have the potential to cause life-altering harm, including acute psychological injury, cumulative stress-related disorders, and in the most serious cases, self-harm or fatality. For this reason, they are included alongside our other FSRs.

However, psychosocial hazards cannot be managed through the same control architecture used for traditional high-energy risks. The nature of harm, the mechanisms of exposure, and the pathways to injury differ fundamentally from physical fatal risks. As a result, critical controls, assurance protocols, and verification mechanisms must be designed specifically for psychosocial risk rather than replicated from conventional FSR methodologies.

Why Psychosocial Hazards Require a Distinct Management Approach

1.The risk may be cumulative, relational and context-dependent

2.Controls are predominantly behavioural and systemic based

3.Assurance is qualitative rather than binary

4.The causal pathways can be long and complex

5.Prevention requires organisational capability, and task-level control may not be relevant or sufficient

How Psychosocial Hazards Fit Within the FSR Framework and Rethinking Safety

Psychosocial hazards sit within the FSR Framework because:

  • They can lead to fatal or life-altering harm.
  • They require the same level of organisational attention, investment and visibility.
  • They demand clear roles, responsibilities and pathways for escalation.
  • Leaders must treat psychosocial hazards with the same seriousness, legitimacy and urgency as physical fatal risks

As a minimum, the management of psychosocial hazards at LOR requires:

  • Identification, assessment and mitigation of psychosocial hazards through the completion of a Risk Assessment and Plan;
  • Training our people so that they understand psychosocial hazards and minimum expectations for their management; and
  • Reporting of hazards and events by our people, enabling better understanding of trends to support continuous improvement.

How We Manage Psychosocial Hazards

The detailed approach to managing psychosocial risk is provided in the Primary Standard for Psychosocial Hazards and contextualised through the psychosocial risk management plans in place at each LOR Workplace. As a minimum, our framework requires consideration and management of:

Job design and demands 

  • Job demands
  • Low job control

Support for our people

  • Poor support
  • Lack of role clarity
  • Inadequate reward and recognition

Organisational factors

  • Poor organisational change management
  • Poor organisational justice

Environmental factors 

  • Traumatic events or material
  • Remote or isolated work
  • Poor physical environment

Unacceptable behaviours, and conflict

  • Violence and aggression
  • Bullying
  • Harassment including sexual harassment
  • Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions

Our model ensures psychosocial hazards are identified and risks are managed in a fit for purpose model that recognises the need for a different approach to energy-based hazards.

Please refer to PS Psychosocial Hazards for details of our processes.

Related Documents

PS Psychosocial HazardsDownload File
Psychosocial_Risk_Management_Plan_TemplateDownload File

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