Understanding psychosocial risk means hearing from the people who live it, build the systems around it, and enforce the standards.

This first-of-its-kind roundtable brings together three perspectives rarely heard in the same conversation: An industry practitioner managing psychosocial risk in a complex organisation, an independent psychosocial safety expert, and an active regulator who sees where organisations succeed and where they fall short.

Psychosocial risk is no longer a future issue, a wellbeing initiative, or something managed through an annual survey and intranet policy. It is a WHS obligation.

When burnout, conflict, bullying, isolation, workplace aggression, or constant change arise, organisations must show they identified the risk, acted appropriately, monitored the response, and can defend their decisions.

Many have run the survey, written the policy, and delivered awareness training. Yet many would still struggle to demonstrate effective practice in a regulatory inspection.

This discussion moves beyond theory to explore what good practice looks like: spotting risks early, responding before harm escalates, building leadership accountability, and creating systems that stand up to board and regulatory scrutiny.

Who should attend:

WHS and safety professionals, HR and people leaders, risk and compliance teams, legal counsel, and senior leaders responsible for building accountable, safer workplaces.

What we will cover:

When a complaint is more than an HR matter
Why a bullying or interpersonal complaint cannot be dealt with industrially alone, and what your WHS obligations now require you to do alongside it.

What SafeWork actually looks for on site
What a regulator checks during an inspection, what a mature psychosocial risk management system looks like, and what a poor one looks like in practice.

Why your survey is not a safety system
The most common mistake organisations make, and what defensible hazard identification, risk assessment, and controls actually require.

The legislation that changed the stakes
The Industrial Manslaughter (HOC) provisions, the Psychosocial Hazard Code of Practice, and what they now demand from your organisation.

What evidence actually satisfies a regulator
Not what looks good in a document, but what would hold up in front of SafeWork, a board, or a court.

The gap between intent and practice
What organisations that manage psychosocial risk well do differently, and what it takes to move from good intentions to a system that actually holds up under scrutiny.

Speakers:

James Wallace
Manager, Safety Capability and Resilience  |  Sydney Water

James Wallace is an experienced leader in safety, health, wellbeing, and general operations with over 25 years’ experience leading teams across utilities, banking, and customer services. James brings a deeply practical perspective to psychosocial risk. His team is currently focused on identifying and controlling psychosocial hazards and using that process to drive evidence-based wellbeing outcomes at scale. 

He will share what managing psychosocial risk actually looks like inside a complex organisation, including the leadership challenges, operational pressures, and lessons learned along the way.

Nicole Turnbull
CEO  |  Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Institute

Nicole is CEO of Australia's peak body for psychosocial safety in the workplace, with almost 25 years in communications and 20 years in WHS, including senior roles with both NSW safety regulators, the workers compensation insurer, and the Independent Review Office. She works with leaders, HR, and WHS teams to turn awareness into practical, effective workplace controls. 

Nicole will unpack what mature psychosocial risk management looks like, where organisations commonly get it wrong, and how to build systems that are practical, proportionate, and defensible.

Peter Barron
Team Coordinator, Psychosocial Programs  |  SafeWork NSW

Peter leads statewide psychosocial programs at SafeWork NSW and brings more than 20 years of WHS experience across regulatory leadership, workplace inspections, incident prevention, and return to work. 

He will provide the regulator’s view on what SafeWork looks for, what weak systems repeatedly miss, and why how an organisation responds to a complaint matters as much as the policy it has in place.

Leonie Foote
Senior Account Executive  |  Riskonnect

Leonie works with some of the region's most complex organisations, helping them understand and maximise their approach to governance, risk, and compliance. With her expertise in legal and legislative frameworks and a track record of supporting APAC clients through regulatory and operational challenges, she understands the pressures leaders in this space are facing firsthand.