The Safety@Work Conversation Cards include 52 questions and supporting follow-up questions that leaders can use in one-on-one meetings, team meetings or as a tool for self-reflection.

Across Australia, work health and safety (WHS) laws require employers and leaders to provide and maintain a work environment that is safe and without risks to health, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes managing both physical and psychosocial hazards — such as high workload, role conflict, poor organisational change management, unsafe working environments, bullying, harassment, and a lack of support.

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work that can cause psychological or physical harm. They may arise from the way work is designed, organised, managed, or from workplace interactions and culture. Under WHS laws, employers and leaders must take proactive steps to identify, assess, and eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks caused by these hazards.

One important way to meet these obligations is to hold regular, proactive safety conversations with team members. These conversations not only strengthen psychological safety and trust, but also help surface early warning signs of risk, enabling leaders to act before harm occurs.

The Safety@Work Conversation Cards are designed to support these regular safety conversations. They provide structured, open-ended questions that encourage reflection, dialogue, and problem-solving around common psychosocial hazards. By using these cards in one-on-one meetings, team discussions, and as a self-reflection tool, leaders can:

• identify emerging psychosocial risks early

• strengthen safe, respectful, and supportive workplace practices

• promote shared responsibility for health, safety, and wellbeing

• meet their legal duty to manage psychosocial hazards under WHS legislation.