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Prioritising Mental Health in Every Workplace
Led by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Mind Your Head is a national initiative putting mental health and safety on equal footing with physical health and safety at work. The program works directly with managers, workers, and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) to create safer, healthier workplaces — mentally and physically.
Why Mental Health at Work Matters
Work plays a huge role in our mental wellbeing. Good work — meaningful, safe, and well-managed — supports mental health. But when pressures mount, like unmanageable workloads, poor relationships, or aggressive clients, workers can suffer real harm.
Just like physical injuries, psychological injuries can have lasting effects — not only for the individual, but for entire teams and businesses.
A mentally healthy workplace:
- Identifies risks early
- Puts strategies in place to prevent harm
- Supports recovery when needed
It starts with the right tools, training, and culture.
What Is Mind Your Head?
Mind Your Head (MYH) is a national campaign by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), bringing together employers, workers, unions, insurers and researchers to:
- Raise the profile of mental health and safety to the same level as physical safety
- Equip leaders, HSRs, and workers with knowledge about psychosocial hazards and how they relate to WHS
- Provide tools and training to help build mentally safe work systems
- Encourage collaboration across workplaces to tackle mental health challenges together
- Share learnings and best practice to grow a community of mentally healthy workplaces
What Are Psychosocial Hazards?
Psychosocial hazards are risks to mental health that arise from the way work is designed, organised, or managed. These include:
- Excessive workloads
- Role confusion
- Remote or isolated work
- Poor communication or support
They’re just as real — and just as preventable — as physical hazards like slippery floors or unguarded machinery.
The Mind Your Head Solution
Mind Your Head is helping change that. Through education, collaboration and targeted tools, we’re supporting workplaces to:
- Identify and eliminate psychosocial hazards
- Build strong, proactive mental health systems
- Foster a culture that prioritises mental wellbeing for all
We work with unions, workers, and employers to roll out practical, effective resources that make a real difference.
The Journey So Far
Victoria Pilot (2023)
The first Mind Your Head pilot was launched in Victoria with support from Employers Mutual Limited and WorkSafe’s WorkWell Program. Participating worksites completed comprehensive workplace mental health programs, including:
- Baseline mental health and safety assessments
- Education and training for workers and HSRs
- Tools to implement mentally safe systems of work
These resources were refined based on real-world feedback and are now available for wider use.
Current Project: South Australia (2025–2026)
Mind Your Head is now being rolled out across a number of South Australian workplaces.
This phase is supported by:
- Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
- SA Unions
- Return to Work SA
- University of South Australia (UniSA)
Researchers from the PSC-GO team at UniSA are evaluating the program’s impact as part of a PhD study funded by the ACTU.
Get Involved
If you’re interested in participating or learning more about how Mind Your Head could support your workplace, please reach out:
Ms Ashira Friebel
University of South Australia
Mr Paul Hopkins
Associate Investigator – SA Unions
Research Team
Psychosocial Safety Climate Global Observatory (PSC-GO)
Ms. Ashira Friebel, Ms. Gemma David, Dr. Ali Afsharian, and Prof. Maureen Dollard
SA Unions: Mr. Paul Hopkins, Mr Dale Beasley, and Mr. Dash Taylor-Johnson
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
