Family violence is an example of a take-home hazard exposure and a hazard which emanates from the workplace is an occupational hazard when it can impact the health or safety of employees. Take-home hazards are those that ‘leave’ the workplace and can have an impact on people in the wider community and in the home environment.

The importance of take-home hazard exposures has been recognised for a long time but has historically been linked to contaminants, such as asbestos dust. People may leave their workplaces with hazards on their skin, their clothes – in particular, shoes – their tools, cars and other objects and introduce them into the home and the environment.

However, it is now also increasingly recognised that another form of take-home exposure is stressors in the workplace. Occupational exposures to stressors can cause behaviour change. These stressors can alter the way a worker behaves with family members and have been found to have adverse impacts on marital relationships, including domestic violence.

Exposure to violence at work can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can also result in family violence occurring in the workplace if one member of the family contacts another by email or telephone while they are at work. Employees experiencing domestic violence could be attacked in the workplace if their partner were to arrive in person and could lead to threats made towards their co-workers or the workplace itself. Attending their partner’s workplace can be a way for the perpetrator to intimidate, threaten or assault the employee. This type of violence will cause an employee’s ability to work safely to be impaired due to the distraction and trauma of the experience.

Regardless of the cause, behaviour change can adversely impact family health and wellbeing and, where this change can be traced back to occupational exposures, preventative measures can be put in place to the benefit of families of all occupationally exposed workers.

Examples of preventative measures for psychosocial exposures may include ensuring workplace demands are within the capacity of the worker; informally debriefing with the worker(s) at the end of a shift to, where possible, determine in discussion with the worker whether they may need further assistance, for example, an appointment with the organisation’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

At the Victorian Chamber, we have a broad range of consulting and training services to help your business with workplace mental health. Our Mental Health Check programhelps to identify psychological risks and determine relevant prevention and improvement actions. Our training programs target executives,managers,employees and HR/WHS professionals. We also deliver the accredited Mental Health First Aid to allow you to establish Mental Health First Aid Officers in your workplace.

If you would like any assistance with identifying OHS hazards in your workplace, please use the free WorkSafe OHS Essentials program. One of our consultants would visit your workplace and provide you with a practical safety action plan to address any identified areas for improvement.

For more information, please email our Health, Safety and Wellbeing team or call them on 03 8662 5333.