Managing psychosocial hazards: Action tracker for jobsite leaders
This action tracker helps jobsite leaders identify and manage psychosocial hazards through three steps: spotting risks across work demands, organization, and team culture; applying a hierarchy of controls (eliminate, redesign, adjust, educate, promote); and reflecting weekly using an action log and guided questions to track progress.
Purpose
Respect Works 101 | Managing Psychosocial Hazards: Action Tracker for Jobsite Leaders 1 Psychosocial hazards—such as excessive job demands, limited job control, poor communication, bullying, harassment, and insufficient support—are common in construction and can significantly affect workers’ physical health, mental wellbeing, and safety. This brief action tracker supports jobsite leaders in routinely identifying and addressing psychosocial hazards, ideally as part of weekly checkins. This tracker is not intended to be a comprehensive or prescriptive solution. Instead, it offers practical guidance on controls and actions shown to reduce common work-related stressors in the construction industry.
A simple and proactive psychosocial hazard action tracker for jobsite leaders
Review the three steps below and the associated goals. These steps should be incorporated into your routine and other procedures. A list of common psychosocial hazards and control measures are included to help you track your daily or weekly observations.
Step One: Identify potential psychosocial hazards in your workplace
Begin with identifying conditions that have the potential to cause harm. During your walkaround or morning prep, use the tracker below to check off what you observe or what people are repeatedly reporting to you. Use the Respect Works Recognizing Psychosocial Hazard Toolbox Talk to begin conversations about these hazards and take notes on what your crew reports that is seriously affecting their work and their safety. Remember that it is always preferable that you talk with your crew to identify these hazards and collect suggestions they might have to mitigate them. Avoid making quick assumptions.
Step two: Select and implement the best control measures to mitigate the main hazards you have identified in step one
Effective control of psychosocial hazards requires a combination of organizational, managerial, work design, and behavioral interventions. As the diagram shows below, these controls mirror traditional safety hierarchies for physical hazards, varying from: eliminating the sources, re-designing the work, adjusting existing practices, educating workers and/or promoting individual resilience. Discuss these possible controls with your crew, asking for their inputs and other suggestions. Consider that the controls showed in the diagram start from the most effective to the least effective.
Hierarchy of controls of psychosocial hazards
A combination of controls might be the best strategy. More specific examples of controls/actions that you can take to address psychosocial hazards are provided on the action log PDF to help you track and incorporate those actions into your management practice.
Step three: Reflect on these actions weekly
Effective control of psychosocial hazards requires a combination of organizational, managerial, work design, and behavioral interventions. As the diagram shows below, these controls mirror traditional safety hierarchies for physical hazards, varying from: eliminating the sources, re-designing the work, adjusting existing practices, educating workers and/or promoting individual resilience. Discuss these possible controls with your crew, asking for their inputs and other suggestions. Consider that the controls showed in the diagram start from the most effective to the least effective.
Questions for reflection
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What worked well this week? Are you keeping the work doable, not draining?
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Which of the actions above were difficult to take or are out of your control?
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What psychosocial hazards remain unchanged?
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What serious issues require escalation to management?
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Do you have the support you need for taking actions?
