Traumatic Events or Material
Exposure to traumatic events causes severe stress. Learn how to manage these workplace hazards today.
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How Traumatic Events or Material Is A Psychosocial Hazard
Witnessing, investigating or being exposed to traumatic events or material. A person is more likely to experience an event as traumatic when it is unexpected, is perceived as uncontrollable or is the result of intentional cruelty. This includes vicarious exposure and cumulative trauma.
Being exposed to a traumatic event, or being witness to a traumatic event is a psychological risk and hazard in itself as exposure to such events will cause overwhelming physiological stress response.
Psychological trauma is an emotional response caused by severe distressing events that are outside the normal range of human experiences, with extreme examples being natural disasters workplace violence and sexual violence, workplace fatality or severe injuries.
Some workers such as first responders will be exposed to these events as part of the conditions of employment and organisations will need to have proactive strategies to manage staff exposure to traumatic events.
Let’s Look at an Example
Ned works at a large mining company and does onsite driving. The workplace takes health and safety very seriously but recently there was a serious accident where his colleague was hit by a truck that Ned was driving.
Ned has been unable to sleep and having nightmares about the accident for a couple of months now and is wondering if he should let his manager know.
Risk Factors For Traumatic Events or Material
Traumatic events can occur in any workplace, but they are more likely to occur in certain industries, such as healthcare, education, and social services. Taumatic events can have a significant impact on employees, both physically and emotionally.
The following are some of the risk factors for traumatic events in the workplace:
- Experiencing fear or extreme risks to the health or safety of themselves or others.
- Exposure to natural disasters, or seriously injured or deceased persons.
- Reading, hearing or seeing accounts of traumatic events, abuse or neglect.
- Supporting victims or investigating traumatic events, abuse or neglect.
Consequences
The consequences of traumatic events or material in the workplace can include:
- Psychological trauma
- Increased stress levels
- Decreased productivity
- Increased absenteeism
- Increased turnover
How To Mitigate and Respond To Traumatic Events
There are a number of things that can be done to prevent traumatic events in the workplace, including:
- Training employees on how to identify and respond to potential threats
- Implementing security measures, such as security cameras and access control
- Creating a workplace culture that is respectful and supportive
- Providing employees with resources, such as counselling and support groups
If a traumatic event does occur in the workplace, it is important to have a plan in place for responding to the incident. This plan should include steps for:
- Protecting employees and customers
- Investigating the incident
- Providing support to employees who have been affected
Traumatic events can have a significant impact on employees, both physically and emotionally. It is important to identify and assess the risks for traumatic events in the workplace and to take steps to prevent these events from happening. If a traumatic event does occur, it is important to have a plan in place for responding to the incident.
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
Our last EAP was barely touched. Why would this be different?+
Most EAPs go unused because of how they're accessed, not because staff don't need them. Phoning a stranger, explaining yourself, then waiting weeks is enough to stop most people before they start. Foremind removes all three steps: staff see real counsellor profiles, pick someone themselves, and book the same day.
If you already have a provider, the question worth asking is what your current utilisation is. Most traditional EAPs sit in low single digits, which means you're paying for cover your people aren't reaching. If yours is being used, staff can get seen quickly, and it covers your psychosocial obligations, there's no reason to move. If not, it's worth knowing what you're getting for the spend.
Do you offer 24/7 support?+
Yes. A 24/7 after-hours crisis line means staff can reach someone immediately at any hour, including nights and weekends.
Counselling appointments are also available outside standard business hours, so shift-based and on-call teams aren't limited to a nine-to-five window. Those are two different things, and it's worth checking any provider offers both rather than just the crisis line.
Are your EAP counsellors based in Australia?+
Yes. Every practitioner on the platform holds current membership with an Australian professional body and practises under Australian standards, codes of ethics and disciplinary frameworks. There are no offshore call centres.
Practitioners hold membership with the Australian Counselling Association, the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, or the Australian Association of Social Workers, along with a current Working with Children or Vulnerable People Check.
How much does an EAP cost?+
Pricing is usually per employee per month, based on total headcount rather than how many people use the service. Costs vary widely depending on whether sessions are bundled in and whether compliance tooling is included.
A more useful comparison is cost per employee who actually uses it. An EAP with 2% utilisation can work out several times more expensive per person helped than one that gets used. Foremind offers pay-as-you-go, inclusive session plans and compliance-inclusive plans, with discounted pricing for not-for-profits and charities.
For full breakdown of our plans, see our EAP pricing page or request a quote for a tailored proposal.
What information does an employer receive about EAP usage?+
Nothing that could identify anyone. All counselling is completely confidential and all reporting is anonymous - you'll never see who booked, when, or what was discussed.
What you do see is the aggregated picture: how many people are using it, what psychosocial risks are prevalent in the business, and which teams are under pressure. Enough to know the investment is working and where to act, never enough to identify a person. Reporting thresholds mean small teams can't be reverse-engineered from the data.
Does having an EAP meet an employer's psychosocial duty of care?+
No. An EAP is a control measure, and a valuable one, but it only addresses harm after it has occurred. It doesn't identify hazards, assess risk, or evidence that controls are working.
Australian WHS law requires you to identify psychosocial hazards, assess the risk, control it so far as is reasonably practicable, and review whether those controls are working — with documented evidence at each step. Offering counselling on its own leaves three of those four steps undocumented.
Foremind covers both in one platform. See how the compliance side works in our product tour.