Review of Bullying Policies and Procedures
WorkSafe commissioned an independent review of its current policies and procedures for dealing with bullying. The review followed an Ombudsman Victoria investigation into allegations of bullying.
The independent review report involves two complementary parts; a review of the effectiveness of WorkSafe’s approach to bullying within the broader context of its regulatory efforts, and a comparative analysis of the approach taken by similar agencies across Australia and overseas.
The review found that while WorkSafe is well placed amongst its peers in confronting the novel challenges that bullying presents for regulators, there remains a gap in the way that bullying is dealt with when compared to the management of the more prevalent problem of physical risks.
The review makes a number of recommendations for change, including consolidating existing guidance material, and improving staff training, the exchange of information and the investigative tools available to inspectors and investigators.
As an organisation committed to a consultative approach to compliance (and one that has invested significantly in responding to bullying issues), WorkSafe supports the recommendations and will be taking immediate action to respond to them.
