EAP
Also known as: Employee Assistance Program
An Employee Assistance Program is a confidential counselling and short-term-support service provided to workers (and often their immediate family) by an external provider. EAP access is the most common mental-health control in Australian workplaces and a near-baseline requirement for psychosocial risk management.
Legal context
EAPs originated in occupational alcohol-and-drug programmes in the 1970s and are now broader counselling services covering personal stress, relationship issues, grief, financial pressure, traumatic events, conflict and mental health. The EAP provider is external — workers self-refer or are referred by managers, and the content of sessions is confidential. PCBUs receive only de-identified utilisation reporting. EAP is a low-level psychosocial control under the hierarchy of control — it sits below better organisational design, job redesign, and direct supports — but it is a near-baseline expectation in psychosocial risk-management plans under ISO 45003.
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Related terms
Psychosocial hazard
A psychosocial hazard is a hazard that may cause psychological or physical harm and arises from how work is designed, organised and managed, or from the social context of work. Examples include high job demands, low job control, poor support, role conflict, exposure to traumatic events, harassment and bullying.
ISO 45003
ISO 45003:2021 is the international guidance standard for managing psychosocial risk within an ISO 45001 OHSMS. It is a guideline (not a certifiable standard) and was the first global ISO standard to address psychosocial hazards in occupational safety terms.
MHFA
A Mental Health First Aider is a trained worker who can recognise mental-health issues in colleagues and connect them to appropriate support. The standard course is Mental Health First Aid Australia's 12-hour Standard MHFA, with certifications valid for 3 years.
Critical incident
A critical incident is a workplace event with the potential to cause significant psychological distress — fatality, serious injury witnessed by colleagues, armed robbery, assault, near-miss to self or co-worker, large-scale evacuation. The PCBU's response triggers Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) processes including EAP activation, structured debrief and return-to-work follow-up.
Platform pillars
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47 WHS and HSWA terms with legal context, FAQs and regulator references.