FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, AUCHI

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

GROUP 6
EKPUKE MARVELLOUS OGHOGHO ENG/133200244
EKE IFEAKACHUKU STEPHEN ENG/1332019297
EHINOMHEN COLLINS ENG/133200217
EKHATOR FAITH OSARIEMEN ENG/133200114
ELISHA PRISCILLA ONETEOTINE ENG/1332000205
ELOEMIA OSHIORENIMHE FAITH ENG/1332000146

LEVEL
ND 2

COURSE
HEALTH SAFETY ENVIRONMENT

TOPIC
PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS?

Psychological hazards are aspects of the work environment and the way that work is
organised that are associated with mental disorders and/or physical injury or illness. When
psychosocial hazards are not effectively managed, they can negatively impact on
organisational measures including productivity, absenteeism and turnover.

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS

1. WORK RELATED STRESS

Work-related stress is a psychosocial hazard that describes the response of a worker
who feels that their work demands aren’t matched to their knowledge and abilities or
the resources that they have available to do the work. This response can be physical,
mental or emotional.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Feeling stressed at work for long periods of time can cause physiological and/or
psychological illnesses and impact health behaviours. Which includes;
a. Mental health conditions
b. Musculoskeletal disorders
c. Cardiovascular disease
d. Immune deficiency disorders
e. Gastrointestinal disorders

HOW DO I MANAGE THE RISKS?

Everyone in your place of work has a responsibility to look after their own health and
safety as well as the health and safety of others. The following information gives an
overview of how you can control the risks that contribute to work-related stress, making
your place of work safer for everyone involved.

For Workers

It’s important to talk about stressors and risks that you believe are or could be affecting
your mental health with a manager or other appropriate person at your place of work.
Any discussions about sensitive or personal issues should be private and confidential,
and shouldn’t be shared with anyone else, unless you’ve given them permission. When
you’re talking about issues that may be affecting employees more broadly, you must be
objective and not identify individual employees.
2. WORK RELATED BULLYING
Work-related bullying in your place of work can affect your workers’ psychological and
physical health and must be managed. Work-related bullying is repeated and
unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a
risk to health and safety. Examples of behaviour, whether intentional or unintentional,
that may be work-related bullying include, but are not limited to:
a. Abusive, insulting or offensive language or comments
b. Unjustified criticism or complaints
c. Deliberately leaving someone out of work-related activities
d. Withholding information that is vital for effective work performance
e. Setting unreasonable timelines or constantly changing deadlines

THE EFFECTS OF BULLYING COULD INCLUDE

a. Distress
b. Anxiety
c. Panic attacks or disturbed sleep
d. Physical illness, for example muscle tension, headaches, fatigue and digestive
problems, etc

HOW DO I MANAGE THE RISKS?

Everyone at your place of work has a work health and safety duty. Working together,
you can help keep bullying from happening at work.

For Workers

i. Take reasonable care for your own health and safety while at work
ii. Take reasonable care that your acts don’t negatively affect the health and safety of
others.
iii. Follow any reasonable instruction given by the person who conducts a business or
undertaking (PCBU).
iv. Co-operate with any reasonable policies and procedures of the PCBU, for example a
bullying policy.
3. VIOLENCE
Violence at work is any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in
circumstances relating to their work. Work-related violence covers a range of actions
and behaviours that create risks to the health and safety of workers.
Examples include: biting, spitting, scratching, hitting, kicking throwing objects, pushing,
shoving, tripping, grabbing, verbal threats, armed robbery, sexual assault,
attacking with knives, guns, clubs, or any type of weapon.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Work-related violence often causes physical or psychological injury and can sometimes
be fatal. It can also result in economic and social costs to the victim, their family, their
 business and the wider community. Like all work health and safety risks, it must be
managed.
HOW DO I MANAGE THE RISKS?
Everyone at work has a responsibility for health and safety, both physical and
psychological. You must make sure that violence does not create a risk to your own or
anyone else’s health and safety.
For Workers
As a worker, you must take reasonable care of your own health and safety in your place
of work, and the health and safety of others who may be affected by your actions. You
must also follow any reasonable instructions given by the person who conducts a
business or undertaking (PCBU).

4. FATIGUE
It’s more than feeling tired and drowsy – fatigue is a state of mental and/or physical
exhaustion that reduces the ability to work safely and effectively. It can happen when
someone is overworked, not sleeping right or has had a disruption to their internal body
clock.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
The effects of fatigue can be short or long term. In the short term, a person may show
signs or report symptoms like: constant yawning or falling asleep at work, short-term
memory problems and a hard time concentrating, finding it hard to join in
conversations, bad decision-making and judgment, reduced hand-eye coordination or
slow reflexes, changes in behavior.
HOW DO I MANAGE THE RISKS?
Fatigue management is a shared responsibility between management and workers, as it
involves factors both inside and outside of work.

FOUR STEPS TO MANAGING RISK OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HAZARDS

Step 1. Identify the hazard
Step 2. Assess the risk
Step 3. Control the risk
Step 4. Review risk controls