ECI Health and Wellbeing Policy

Health & Wellbeing

We all need help and support at various times in our life.
Look out for yourself and your workmates and if you notice changes in behaviour speak up.
Get help or suggest that others can seek the help they need. There are plenty of resources available. View some helpful information suggestions at the bottom of this page…

Worker awareness explained.

The construction sector has been recognised as a high-risk industry in terms of the health and well- being of its workers. This is largely due to several factors including being a male-dominated industry, long hours, project-based work, and a transient workforce.

Workers in the construction industry have been identified as having a high-risk profile relating to their general overall health. Risk factors include smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical inactivity, mental health, overweight and obesity.

Worker awareness is being vigilant and looking past just ‘doing the task’. It is having regard to the many other issues we all face in society today, whether they are health or dependence issues, and being aware that they can all impact our performance at work.

Why improve worker awareness?

All workers have the potential to lose concentration at times. This temporary loss or lack of situational awareness is a causal factor in many construction accidents. Worker inattention, preoccupation or forgetfulness can result in workers putting themselves and/or the entire work team at risk.

Worker awareness is important to everyone – it is important that everyone is aware of their surroundings and the potential hazards they face. It is important that everyone is looking out for his or her own safety as well as looking out for their workmates. Even the most experienced people can lack awareness at times, especially when doing tasks that have become routine. If you are experiencing difficulties in completing your work tasks safely, or you notice that a workmate seems preoccupied, speak out and have conversations with each other or management.

It is important that all workers are aware of resources that can help them to become healthier and happier not just in the workplace, but in their private lives as well. Benefits to be gained from participating in a healthy lifestyle include improving your general awareness of health and wellbeing, improving your physical and mental well-being leading to increased levels of resilience, increasing your energy levels, improving concentration, working better in team environments, and enhancing the enjoyment and fulfilment you experience at work generally.

Discrimination, harassment & bullying in the workplace.

What is unlawful discrimination?

Discrimination occurs when a person, or a group of people, is treated less favourably than another person or group because of their background or certain personal characteristics.

Federal discrimination laws protect people from discrimination of the basis of their:

• Race, including colour, national or ethnic origin or immigrant status.

• Sex, pregnancy or marital status and breastfeeding

• age

• Disability, or

• Sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.

What is harassment?

Under discrimination law, it is unlawful to treat a person less favourably based on protected attributes such as a person’s sex, race, disability, or age. Treating a person less favourably can include harassing or bullying a person. The law also has specific provisions relating to sexual harassment, racial hatred, and disability harassment.

Harassment can include behaviour such as:

• Telling insulting jokes about racial groups

• Sending explicit or sexually suggestive emails or text messages

• Making derogatory comments or taunts about a person’s disability, or asking intrusive questions about someone’s personal life, including his or her sex life.

What is workplace bullying?

The Fair Work Amendment Act 2013 defines workplace bullying as repeated unreasonable behaviour by an individual towards a worker which creates a risk to health and safety.

Bullying behaviour can range from obvious verbal or physical assault to subtle psychological abuse. It can include:

• Physical or verbal abuse

• Yelling, screaming or offensive language.

• Excluding or isolating employees

• Psychological harassment (Psychological harassment is a form of vexatious behaviour that involves repeated hostile and unwanted words, behaviour, or actions that are painful, hurtful, annoying, humiliating or insulting)

• Intimidation (This includes actions of abuse, harassment, and intimidation such as: verbal abuse; physical attacks; being stalked followed or loitered around; threats of harm; distribution of misinformation; character assassination; inappropriate emails, letters, phone calls and communications on social media)

• Assigning meaningless tasks unrelated to the job

• Giving employees impossible jobs

• Deliberately changed work rosters to inconvenience employees.

• Undermining work performance by deliberately withholding information vital for effective work performance.

Everyone has the right to work in an environment free from bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence.

We spend almost every day with our workmates so we’re in a good position to spot changes in their moods or behaviour. Just asking “Are you okay?” can be the first step in providing a little support. Sometimes a little support is all someone may need to help them on the path to change.
Let’s work together and lookout for yourself and your workmate.

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Acknowledgement

I have read and acknowledge ECI Workplace Health and Wellbeing Policy