At EML, we’re proud to work alongside employers, industry partners, and regulators to create safer workplaces.
As part of October’s National Safe Work Month we’re sharing helpful guidance from our in-house experts and some of the outstanding resources available through the Mutual Benefits Program and industry partners.
To help prevent workplace injuries and support positive return to work outcomes in your workplace, take a few minutes to learn more about identifying hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks and reviewing controls below.
‘We encourage all employers and workers to learn about, review and improve workplace safety from physical hazards to the provision of early mental health support.
We all have a shared responsibility together we can make a difference starting this month.’
Keith Govias – Workplace Safety & Risk Principal EML Group
Identify hazards
‘There are many things that an employer can do during the initial claim lodgement process to ensure a successful return to work for their injured workers. Maintaining clear communication, providing ongoing support and encouragement to return to work can make all the difference. When dealing with complex claims it’s important to consider who is the most appropriate person to liaise with the injured worker (to reduce the risk of the worker feeling further stress) and to seek additional support.’
Georgia O’Connor-Lewis – Eligibility Team Leader VIC
Helpful resources
Finding extra support on complex claims
With funding from the Mutual Benefits Program, our Nominal Insurer (NI) business launched the Recovery Pathways Program pilot – an innovative solution designed to address the rising incidence and expense of challenging psychological injury claims.
Identify workplace hazards
Safe Work Australia provides guidance on the risk management process as a vital tool in identifying things and situations that may cause harm to people.
Psychosocial hazards
Australia is at a critical turning point in how we understand and address mental health—especially in the workplace. Take a look at our mental health white paper to find out more about mental health conditions which now account for an increasing proportion of workers compensation and personal injury claims across the country.
Returning to work
From managing recovery plans to preparing your employees for medical appointments, there are many free and valuable resources available to make the return to work process easier.
SA support for workplace injuries
ReturnToWorkSA oversees South Australia’s work injury insurance scheme, offering financial and rehabilitation support to help injured workers recover and return to work swiftly.
Supporting your people through the claims process
Knowing what to do when your employee has been injured and lodges a workers compensation claim can be confusing, but EML is here to help. We have developed a series of short, animated videos to explain the claims process and how to support your employee during what can be a difficult time for both Victoria and South Australia.
VIC support for mental injuries
Eligible workers and volunteers in Victoria can access early treatment and support while awaiting the outcome of their claim. This support is called provisional payments.
Workplace mental health checklist
Assess your current work practices to identify strengths and gaps in your workplace mental health strategy. Use this checklist to see what’s working, what’s missing and what risk controls are needed to develop.
Workplace mental health coaching
NSW: Access free coaching from highly trained experts to help you create a mentally healthy workplace. Available to business owners, leaders and manager for SME businesses.
SA: The Mental Health and Wellbeing Program support is for business owners and their employees to build resilience and cope with mental health challenges at low or no cost.
Young people
Supporting apprentices who may be struggling, as well as managing mental health risks for young people in the workplace, are positive things that employers can focus on to ensure good outcomes for both their apprentices and their business.
Assess risks
‘Understanding the worker’s needs early on and creating a tailored recovery plan is key. If the employee doesn’t go back to work, it not only impacts the individual, but also the employer, as they have lost that person’s labour and it impacts the culture of the workplace. In most cases, it’s better for everyone if the worker can return to work.’
Sebastian T – Psychological Injury Specialist SA
Helpful resources
Assessing risk in your workplace
Creating a safer, healthier workplace starts with a clear understanding of the key risk areas that affect your people. Identifying these risks is the first step toward meaningful prevention and lasting wellbeing.
Safe Work Australia provides advice on assessing risks in the workplace and what may happen if someone is exposed to a hazard through the process of a risk assessment.
Musculoskeletal risk prevention
Proactively managing musculoskeletal disorder risks is key to creating a safe and healthy workplace. Learn how tailored, integrated strategies can help prevent injuries and support long-term wellbeing.
Psychosocial hazard toolkit
Developed by SafeWork NSW, the Psychosocial Hazard Work Re-Design Tool supports employers in preventing and managing psychosocial risks in the workplace. Explore a variety of resources that offer valuable insights into mental health, psychosocial risks, and effective work design.
Psychosocial risks
Psychosocial risk is an increasingly prominent concern in workplace health and safety and managing it effectively requires both legal insight and psychological understanding. Listen to the podcast ‘Judgemental: A psychologist and a lawyer walk into a bar‘, to better understand these perspectives and to help you foster psychologically safer workplaces.
People at Work offer a free and validated psychosocial risk assessment survey tp help to create psychologically healthy and safe workplaces.
Real stories
Discover Andrew’s story as he works through the challenges of experiencing workplace trauma, finding strength in healing and resilience in his journey.
Recovery Pathways Program
Effectively managing mental injury claims involving interpersonal conflict can be challenging. Our new, innovative program is helping employers with tailored support and practical tools, it’s designed to improve outcomes, build trust, and contribute to safer, more mentally healthy workplaces.
RUOK? Work culture
SafeWork NSW encourages businesses and workers to foster psychologically safe and healthy workplaces where people feel confident asking and answering this simple yet important question: R U OK? To support this, they provide a range of resources and toolkits including free coaching and training programs for SME businesses and not for profits available online.
Control risks
‘I can’t overstate the importance of having a clear, readily available and easily accessible return to work plan that has been agreed to by key stakeholders. Return to work plans are at their core ‘risk control plans’ designed to ensure employers effectively manage their people’s safe return to work after injury.’
Nat K – Mobile Case Manager NSW
Helpful resources
Controlling workplace risks
Safe Work Australia stresses the importance of controlling risks in the risk management process, providing practical things to do, to eliminate or minimise risks.
Corporate Health
In collaboration with Work Rehab – a series of Wellbeing Literacy Bites were developed to provide short and practical guides to help leaders build a heathier workplace. Discover simple and effective strategies in downloadable and print-ready flyers.
Supporting your workers get back to work safely
Discover our mobile case manager service that provides hands-on support to workers throughout the claims process, operating across metropolitan and regional communities in NSW, Victoria, and South Australia.
Work recovery planning tool
Supporting your worker’s recovery at work is a key step toward achieving a successful outcome. The SIRA NSW planning tool ill guide you in creating a tailored plan that meets both your worker’s needs and your legislative obligations.
Workplace injury prevention for manual tasks
Manual task injuries continue to affect tradies and their teams across Australia every day. Watch Occupational Therapist Brad Gerlach demonstrate safer manual handling techniques in a series of educational videos.
Access a series of our free and ready to use WHS posters developed by our Mutual Benefits Program, covering a range of WHS topics to improve health, safety and return to work outcomes.
Workplace mental health
Together with Business NSW, we’re committed to helping SMEs build stronger, safer, and more resilient workplaces through increasing capability and confidence. Discover the Navigating Workplace Wellness Program project designed to support NSW SMEs with practical resources, through a range of guides, webinars, and statewide events.
Visit our Mental health resource centre to explore a wide range of training sessions focused on psychological wellbeing, psychosocial risk management, and workplace health and safety. These resources are designed to support both you and your workers in building safer and more resilient workplaces.
In collaboration with Work Rehab, we’ve created a series of short, practical guides for leaders that are easy to download and print. These resources are designed to help build healthier workplaces across the corporate sector.
Working with our partners –Steering Healthy Minds – EML, MATES in Construction – EML, Cancer Council – EML, Mind Your Head Program – EML – we’ve helped employers and the people access a range of training tools to support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Review controls
‘As leaders we are responsible for leading a safety culture across our team and managing risks associated with the workplace. Safety risks can arise from physical risks in the workplace, for example a trip hazard. Safety risks can also arise from your team members who are not feeling well in themselves and requiring support. It starts with finding the issue and doing something about it. The simple act of caring goes a long way in building goodwill with your team.’
Matthew Wilson – Chief Risk Officer, EML Group
Helpful resources
Aging workforce measures
Supporting employers with the unique challenges of an ageing workforce requires a proactive, staged approach. By understanding and applying targeted interventions before, during, and after a workplace injury, organisations can enhance return-to-work outcomes and overall workplace wellbeing.
Consequences of complacency
As part of EML’s Employer Training Program, employers access a variety of projects and events including Let’s Talk About Safety event – an initiative focused on highlighting the impact of complacency in workplace safety.
Improving return to work outcomes
Partnering with It Pays to Care to help address psychosocial factors that impact return-to-work outcomes. Access a range of targeted resources for both workers and employers that focus on early intervention, supportive workplace practices, and strategies that make recovery more effective and sustainable.
Relationship management for SME businesses
Small and medium businesses often encounter complex challenges when their employee’s experiences workplace illness or injury. Make the return to work process a success by staying in touch with your worker and following the guide developed by Safe Work Australia.
Reviewing controls
Safe Work Australia highlights the importance that regularly reviewing control measures is a crucial part of effective risk management. Their guidance outlines how workplace risks can be identified, assessed, and managed through a risk assessment process to ensure safer, healthier workplaces.
Small business risk control plan
Encourage workplace safety and return to work outcomes with SafeWork NSW;s WHS printable action plan.
