Organisational governance
Under Australian WHS legislation, officers including directors and senior executives have personal due diligence obligations to ensure their organization manages psychosocial risks. Refresh provides the visibility, documentation, and reporting needed to discharge these responsibilities and demonstrate active oversight.
Legal requirements
Understand officer obligations under WHS legislation
WHS laws require officers to acquire knowledge of psychosocial hazards, understand the organization's operations and associated risks, ensure appropriate resources are allocated, ensure processes exist to manage risks, and verify that controls are implemented and effective. Failing to exercise due diligence can result in personal prosecution and significant penalties.
Governance Structure
Establish clear board oversight of psychosocial risk
Boards need systematic visibility into psychosocial risk management. Refresh supports board oversight through regular reporting on risk posture, compliance status, incident trends, control effectiveness, and resource adequacy. Track board review activities and maintain documentation demonstrating active engagement with psychosocial safety.
Management structure
Define clear executive accountability for psychosocial risk
Effective governance requires clear executive accountability. Document which executives are responsible for psychosocial risk management through framework user designations, assign specific compliance tasks, and track completion. Refresh helps you establish accountability through role assignments and task tracking that demonstrates oversight at all levels.
Strategic Framework
Define and operationalize board risk appetite
Boards should define the organization's appetite for residual psychosocial risk. This includes determining what level of risk is acceptable, which types of risks require escalation, and what incident thresholds trigger board attention. Document risk appetite through your risk assessment ratings and incident severity classification to operationalize governance decisions.
Documentation
Maintain evidence of due diligence activities
Demonstrating due diligence requires documented evidence. Refresh maintains records of framework activations, control implementations, audit completions, management reviews, and incident responses. This comprehensive documentation demonstrates systematic oversight and informed decision-making at all governance levels.
Periodic Assessment
Conduct regular governance effectiveness reviews
Governance structures should be reviewed periodically to ensure they remain appropriate. Assess whether accountability is clear and accepted, reporting provides adequate oversight, resources are sufficient, and the program is achieving its objectives. Use these reviews to identify governance improvements and enhance board confidence.
Authority Structure
Document clear delegation of responsibilities
While officers retain due diligence obligations, day-to-day management is delegated throughout the organization. Refresh helps you document who is responsible for specific risk management activities through framework user designations, task assignments, and review responsibilities. Clear delegation shows systematic management and accountability.
Demonstrate systematic governance and oversight
Psychosocial risk is a governance issue requiring active board and executive engagement. Refresh provides the tools to establish clear governance structures, maintain oversight visibility, document due diligence activities, and demonstrate that your organization takes psychosocial safety seriously at the highest levels.
