Workplace Aware
Prepare Respond Support
Evidence-based Risk Mitigation for Psychosocial Hazards
Staff Exposure to Suicide & Sudden Death
Australian Workplace Health and Safety legislation requires that employers mitigate psychosocial risks and hazards through the application of a formal and consultative risk identification and management process.
The stress and trauma of staff exposure to suicide and other types of sudden death is a currently overlooked risk which is associated with a range of psychosocial harms, including an increased risk of dying by suicide.
The Workplace Aware – Prepare Respond, Support program has been developed and evaluated over a period of 6 years. It has been used by workplaces in the not-for-profit, government, and private sectors, ranging in size from 100 to over 57,000 staff. Its risk mitigation model is aligned with WHS legislation and incorporates the lived experience of staff. Integrating current research and practice, it co-produces tailored workplace training, procedural guidelines, and integrated staff and client support.
The model and approach has been academically evaluated as improving staff and workplace awareness, preparedness and confidence with responding to suicide and sudden death, and our approach is currently being utilized by the NHS in the UK.
Having worked in and managed frontline mental health and community services since 2011, I have seen the impact of client and colleague suicide on communities, families, staff and clients.
Research shows that this impact is widespread yet there is a common absence of action by employers to prepare, respond and support staff in this context. This increases the risk of harm to staff and exposes employers to legal claims.
Working with Neami National and the University of Western Australia 2018-2024 gave me the support and opportunity to partner with government, community and commercial sector partners to research and design a response.
“The program has been invaluable to our staff. Managing funerals brings with it an emotional load which is heightened in the case of suicide, as a result, staff retention is an industry challenge and programs like this have a significant impact in ensuring health & wellbeing for employees.”
— FUNERAL DIRECTOR”
Our Approach
1
Needs Assessment
We assess your current staff exposure, risk and work health and safety systems.
2
Evidence & Alignment
We identify gaps using relevant research evidence and best practice approaches to inform and improve your preparedness and response.
3
Co-Design
We facilitate co-design workshops with your team to tailor best practice solutions to fit your needs and context.
4
Implement & Evaluate
We support program integration and systems for ongoing improvement.
Services
Training
Prepare, Respond & Support Training tailored for staff and management – introducing managers and WHS leads to impact assessment, response planning and strategies for staff support; and informing staff responses to impacted colleagues and clients, self care and wellbeing.
Protocol
Bespoke, evidence-based response protocol integrated and aligned with your existing WHS, HR and Risk Management strategies with evaluation tools for ongoing improvement.
Support
Localized and networked resources and referral pathways for staff and workplace support and ongoing improvement.
Toolkit
Workplace Aware Toolkit an integrated whole-of-agency package including all three project components aligned with current workplace WHS, HR and Risk Management strategies and legislation.
Academic Evidence Base
Following publication of the case study (2022) further research and trials of the program model (now TM as Workplace Aware Prepare Respond Support) were funded by Neami National and conducted in Perth, Western Australia .
The 2023 study conducted by the University of Western Australia in 22 workplaces (government, not for profit and commercial sectors) ranging in size from 100 to 57 000 staff, revealed the widespread psychosocial harms resulting from staff exposure to suicide and sudden loss and the effectiveness of the program model in mitigating risk.
Summary Results:
Staff exposure to suicide and sudden death was widespread, with all staff in the sample having one or more experiences of this type of death in the course of their work.
These incidents had a range of significant negative impacts on staff wellbeing, including stress, trauma and suicidal ideation.
Only one of the 22 workplaces had provided training or adopted procedures to mitigate these psychosocial harms.
A series of trial projects showed that the program model and approach effectively empowered workplaces to be better prepared to respond to and support staff and clients impacted by suicide and sudden death.
The tailored program training and tools improved staff and manager awareness and confidence with mitigating the psychosocial harms relating to suicide and sudden death.
See the links to Latest Research for more information
“I found the content valuable and the self-assessment tools will be implemented into my supervision with my supervisees from now on. When I am teaching students, the Toolkit will be useful start a conversation.”
— TERTIARY EDUCATION PROVIDER