Psychosocial workplace hazards and industrial relations: An introduction

Abstract

This article introduces the special issue, bringing together research on psychosocial workplace hazards (PSWH) which engages industrial relations (IR) perspectives. This is important as PSWH are increasingly studied and regulated, with new regulatory frameworks creating opportunity and necessity for IR perspectives to engage with PSWH. These hazards are intimately related to power relations between employers, workers and the broader society within which they interact, a topic of longstanding investigation within IR. To date, PSWH research has largely occurred in the work, health and safety (WHS) field, reflecting a broader historical separation between WHS and IR in scholarship and practice. While WHS literature outlines the significance of psychosocial hazards as a public health issue, and proposes solutions for their mitigation, we argue that IR framing, and indeed IR frames of reference, can better explain the existence and promote mitigation of PSWH. In this SI the seven papers provide insights into the history of PSWH study; impact of work conditions on restructuring and PSWH; applying the Pressure, Disorganisation and Regulatory Failure (PDR) model in research on sexual harassment; organisational conditions that contribute to the health risks associated with the work, psychosocial hazards women workers experience due to menstruation in developing countries and union strategies for managing workload of union employees.