At Be, psychological safety has been a key focus for the team, and the report Mitigating Vicarious Trauma: Adopting an Occupational Safety Approach has garnered significant interest. This insightful report examines the critical issue of vicarious trauma, which results from indirect exposure to traumatic events. This is particularly relevant to our work in sectors like community services, where workers often engage with distressing content, making vicarious trauma a significant psychological hazard.
The issue of vicarious trauma is closely related to companies legal responsibilities under work health and safety (WHS) laws in Australia. Recent changes to WHS regulations mandate that employers must proactively manage psychosocial hazards, including exposure to traumatic events. This includes the obligation to assess and control risks arising from indirect trauma exposure, which can result in psychological injury to workers.
Vicarious trauma can result from repeated exposure to the suffering of others, such as through casework, media, or digital content, and can lead to conditions like PTSD. The report highlights that the financial and operational consequences for organisations can be substantial, including higher psychological injury claims, increased turnover, reduced productivity, and potential legal risks.
To address these challenges, the report advocates for treating vicarious trauma as an occupational safety risk, akin to physical hazards like chemical exposure. This approach emphasises proactive, systemic solutions, such as work design modifications, technological interventions, and leadership commitment, over-reliance on individual coping mechanisms.
For the Australian community services sector, this report underscores the importance of adopting these best practices to enhance worker wellbeing and improve service quality. Organisations must prioritise the mental health of their workforce, implementing comprehensive psychosocial risk management strategies that reduce exposure to trauma, offer appropriate support, and foster a culture of care.
Key considerations for organisations include:
- Systematic Risk Management: Aligning risk management strategies with workplace health and safety regulations, and adopting the hierarchy of controls, from elimination to administrative controls.
- Leadership Commitment: Ensuring that senior leadership is actively involved in implementing trauma-informed policies.
- Work Design: Redesigning roles and tasks to minimise unnecessary exposure to traumatic content.
- Training and Support: Offering specialised trauma-informed training and providing employees with access to mental health support tailored to their work context.
As the sector faces increasing pressures, adopting a holistic approach to mitigating vicarious trauma is crucial for sustaining a healthy workforce and improving the quality of services provided to vulnerable communities.
To understand this topic further you can look up the full the report available from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. The findings discussed in this article are based on the Findings Report – 2023 Churchill Fellowship to explore best practices in the mitigation of vicarious trauma in trauma-exposed workforces, authored by Amy Nicholas.
We have actively discussed this topics through our partnerships with ProBono Australia and Leading Well with subject matter and leadership expert Vanessa Fudge. Feel free to reach out to the team and we can further direct you to these resources: [email protected]
