Safe Work Australia has published the first in a series of case studies focused on managing psychosocial hazards in various industries.

This first case study is set in a retail workplace and highlights some of the key psychosocial hazards retail workers may face. It also provides examples of ways to help manage health and safety risks at the workplace.

Retail workers often face psychosocial hazards due to:

• challenging work situations like dealing with difficult customers

• pressure to meet sales targets, and

• working long or irregular work hours.

Horizon Retailers employs 300 workers across multiple stores. Staff are reporting issues with stress, anxiety, fatigue and burnout. Retention is down, and sick days have gone up.

What should Horizon Retailers do to manage the WHS risks?

Businesses must eliminate physical and psychosocial risks in the workplace, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise risks as much as possible.

Learn more about how Horizon Retailers manage the psychosocial hazards by reading the case study Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards in retail on our website.

For further information on psychosocial hazards, see the model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work.