Psychosocial Safety Protocol

1. The purpose of our protocol

Our protocol sets out how Adelaide University aims to minimise the risks arising from psychosocial hazards and ensure they are assessed, and appropriate controls are implemented to reduce the risk of injury so far as reasonably practicable.

This protocol should be read in conjunction with the Hazard Management Procedure and Incident Management Procedure, which gives effect to the Wellbeing and Safety Policy.

2. Our protocol applies to

2.1 Inclusions

This protocol applies to staff, title holders and volunteers, visitors or third parties engaged by the University, under a contract of service or contract for service (e.g. contractors, sub-contractors and employees of a labour hire company placed in the University).

2.2 Exclusions

Members of the public.

3. Our psychosocial safety protocols

3.1 Roles and responsibility

University roles and responsibilities for managing Wellbeing and Safety risks, including those risks associated with psychosocial safety, are set out in the Hazard Management Procedure.

3.2 Ensuring psychosocial safety management

The table below outlines key roles and responsibilities for the management of psychosocial safety.

Role	Responsibilities	Protocols
DVC People and Culture	Must: Provide suitable resources and processes for effective hazard and risk management where reasonably practicable.  Ensure hazard management processes are established in accordance with this and associated protocols. Provide strategic oversight of the hazard management system as it relates to psychosocial safety management to monitor its effectiveness.	Ensure adequate resources, funding, and organisational support are allocated to the development, implementation, and ongoing review of the Wellbeing Program and Strategy. Approve sufficient staffing, technology, and service provider contracts (for example Employee Assistance Program, training vendors, etc.) to deliver a Wellbeing Program and Strategy. Review wellbeing performance metrics during quarterly leadership meetings and adjust resource allocation as required. Integrate wellbeing objectives into business planning and decision-making to ensure psychosocial risk management is prioritised and sustained. Demonstrate visible leadership and commitment to wellbeing by endorsing initiatives, participating in key activities, and holding executive/senior staff accountable for compliance with psychosocial safety requirements. Approve reviews or audits of the wellbeing program and strategy at least once every three years. Set wellbeing-related performance objectives for executive/senior staff. Address non-compliance or underperformance in implementing wellbeing initiatives.
Wellbeing and Safety Team	Must: Ensure hazard management processes are established in accordance with this and associated protocols. Ensure incidents within their area of responsibility are investigated. Provide information, training, instruction and an appropriate level of supervision, to staff, students and others where relevant. Support areas to implement effective consultation processes with staff, students and other relevant stakeholders to enable contribution to the hazard management process.	Make available enterprise-wide psychosocial risk assessments for key roles such as Academic (Teaching), Academic (Research), Administration and Technical services, security, veterinary practices, counselling services. Annually review the controls of the Enterprise-wide Risk Assessment for Psychosocial. Investigate psychosocial hazards reported in Unisafe. Publish a Wellbeing Strategy including an annual University Wellbeing Program with events and newsletter. Maintain an online information session on psychosocial workplace hazards. Encourage/support consultation on identified hazards and controls through relevant forums.
Deans of School/Heads of Function	Must: Ensure processes are in place to provide information, training, and instruction to staff. Ensure hazards associated with the operations in their areas of control are identified and managed in accordance with this and associated protocols.	Ensure all staff complete mandatory psychosocial safety training. Ensure Local Action Plans (LAP) contain actions or measures to ensure psychosocial safety is reviewed at the local level. Implement corrective action where required to address psychosocial hazards. Monitor effectiveness of reported psychosocial related hazard and incident outcomes to ensure the delivery of information and instruction on psychosocial hazards.
Managers and supervisors	Must: Implement corrective actions identified from an incident investigation.  Support reporting of hazards and the implementation and communication of appropriate controls.	Ensure relevant standard controls in the Enterprise-wide Risk Assessment for Psychosocial Hazards are implemented and maintained. Respond to issues raised by staff who have concerns about psychosocial hazards and seek support from People Advisory, where required. Ensure issues raised by staff are reported using the appropriate online system (Unisafe or Integrity Unit). Ensure identified mandatory training is completed for your group. Report and manage psychosocial hazards arising from work design via Unisafe.
Staff and volunteers	Must: Follow reasonable instructions and work practices to maintain their own and others’ safety Report individual hazards identified through Unisafe.	Complete mandatory psychosocial safety training and refresher training if/when updates are made. Report psychosocial hazards associated with job demand, job control, role support, role clarity, change management, rewards and recognition and workload in Unisafe.

4. Definitions used in our protocol

The following definitions are applicable to this protocol, for generic Adelaide University definitions refer to the Glossary of Terms.

Psychosocial hazards - is a hazard that arises from, or relates to:

the design or management of work; or
a work environment; or
plant; or
workplace interactions or behaviours; and
may cause psychological harm (whether or not it may also cause physical harm) (WHS Regulations 2012, Regulation 55A).

Reasonably practicable - In relation to a duty, means that which is, or was at a particular time, reasonably able to be done in relation to ensuring health and safety, taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters including –

The likelihood of the hazard or the risk concerned occurring; and
The degree of harm that might result from the hazard or the risk; and
What the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know, about –
1. The hazard of the risk; and
2. Ways of eliminating or minimising the risk; and
The availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk; and
After assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the cost associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk. (WHS Act 2012, Section 18)

Work design - psychosocial hazards are those arising from job demands, the design of tasks, the design of systems of work, including how work is managed, organised and supported including the level of information, training, instruction and supervision provided to workers.

5. How our protocol is governed

5.1 Compliance

Psychosocial safety management at Adelaide University is conducted in compliance with the following established regulations and guidelines:

Legislation & Code of Practice

Australian Standards

None

University related documents and resources

5.2 Governance

This protocol is categorised, approved and owned in line with the governance structure of Adelaide University and the offices and officers listed below.

Parent policy	Authority to create and maintain this protocol is granted under the Hazard Management Procedure
Policy category	Corporate
Approving authority	Executive Director People, Advisory and Wellbeing
Policy owner	Deputy Vice Chancellor People and Culture
Responsible manager	Deputy Vice Chancellor People and Culture or their delegate
Effective from	1 March 2026
Review date	1 March 2029
Enquiries	Wellbeing and Safety Team
Replaced documents	None

6. History of changes

Date approved	To section/clauses	Description of change
28 Jan 2026	N/A	New protocol

Note on structures, positions and position titles:

At the time of writing, the organisational structure, positions and position titles for Adelaide University have not all been confirmed. Accordingly, square brackets [ ] temporarily enclose position titles in this procedure until position titles for Adelaide University are known.