Poor Support at Work: Poor support refers to situations where workers lack emotional and practical support from supervisors or co-workers, receive inadequate training or information, or face a scarcity of tools and resources for their job.

Examples of Poor Support: Inadequate support may manifest as poorly maintained equipment, insufficient IT systems, or limited opportunities for interaction with peers during work shifts.

Risks Associated: Poor support can trigger a stress response, leading to physical or psychological harm if experienced frequently, for prolonged periods, or intensely. This hazard may exist independently but is often combined with other psychosocial risks, compounding the overall risk of harm.

Risk Management: Everyone in the workplace, including both workers and businesses, bears the responsibility for managing health and safety risks. Workers must take reasonable care of their safety and that of others, following instructions from the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU). Businesses, as PCBUs, must ensure a safe working environment, engage in discussions with workers, and address health and safety concerns collaboratively.

Legislation and Codes of practice

You should read through the relevant legislation and codes of practice carefully to make sure your business is complying with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act.

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011
• Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022

Other legislation

A range of laws deal with mental health issues in Queensland workplaces.

• The Queensland Human Rights Commission provides information about Queensland’s anti-discrimination and human rights laws, including sexual harassment at work.
• The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission helps to resolve disputes about workplace bullying for Queensland public sector employees.
• The Fair Work Commission helps to resolve disputes about workplace bullying and sexual harassment for most private sector employees.
• The Fair Work Ombudsman helps employers and employees understand their workplace rights and responsibilities.
• WorkCover Queensland provides workers’ compensation insurance and information about how to make a workers’ compensation claim.

Further support

You may wish to contact an organisation listed below for further information or support.

Emergency support

If your life is in danger, call emergency services on 000 or go to your local hospital emergency department.

• Mental Health Commission
• Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
• Mental Health access line – 1300 642 255 a confidential mental health telephone triage service that provides the first point of contact to public mental health services to Queenslanders. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and links callers to the nearest Queensland Public Mental Health service.
• Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 46 36
• 13 YARN – 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Heads Up – information and resources on developing a healthy workplaces
• Workers’ Psychological Support Service – assists Queensland workers who have experienced a work-related psychological injury.
• Injury Prevention and Management Program – IPaM is a joint initiative delivered by WHSQ and WorkCover Queensland. It is a free program designed to help Queensland businesses develop and implement sustainable health, safety and injury management systems.