The WMHSA Support & Response assessment provides a structured method for examining ten foreseeable situations involving workplace mental-health difficulty, emotional distress or crisis. The assessment evaluates whether relevant controls are adequate in practice. Its official reference is WMHSA-SRA-03.
The Support & Response Assessment
The published assessment is presented as a single-page document. It records:
- Organisation
- Site or location
- Assessor
- Assessment date
The main table contains ten foreseeable situations. Each row identifies:
- The foreseeable situation.
- The potential consequence if uncontrolled.
- Controls directly applicable.
- An adequacy test.
- An assessment status.
The assessment is designed to examine practical support arrangements. It is not a questionnaire intended to diagnose individual employees or obtain their private medical histories.
The ten situations are organised below into four groups for explanation. Their original reference numbers are retained so that readers can identify the corresponding rows in the official document.
| Group | Assessment items |
|---|---|
| Awareness & Professional Support | 1. Identifying Available Mental-Health Support 2. Accessing Professional Support |
| Human & Emergency Response | 3. Immediate Assistance From Another Person 6. Remote Human Support 7. Urgent Professional Crisis Intervention |
| Private & Immediate Stabilisation | 4. Support Without Asking for Help 5. Immediate Stabilisation Where Distress Occurs 8. Support While Waiting for Professional Assistance |
| Post-Incident & Continuing Support | 9. Support Following a Traumatic Workplace Incident 10. Continuing Support and Return to Work |
Official Document
Workplace Mental Health & Safety Assessment: Support & Response (WMHSA-SRA-03).
Awareness & Professional Support
Item 1Identifying Available Mental-Health Support
Foreseeable situation
A worker needs to identify what mental-health support is available.
Potential consequence
Appropriate assistance may be delayed or never accessed because the worker does not know what services exist or how to contact them.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers readily identify available support and how to access it?
An organisation should not assume that publishing information once establishes continuing awareness. Employees should be able to identify appropriate resources when they need them.
Item 2Accessing Professional Support
Foreseeable situation
A worker is willing and able to seek professional assessment, counselling or treatment.
Potential consequence
Mental-health difficulty may continue or deteriorate without appropriate professional assistance.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers confidentially access appropriate professional support?
The assessment should consider actual access conditions, confidentiality, availability and referral pathways. The existence of a professional service does not automatically establish that it is accessible to the intended population.
Human & Emergency Response
Item 3Immediate Assistance From Another Person
Foreseeable situation
A worker wants immediate assistance from another person, and a responder is available.
Potential consequence
Distress may continue or intensify without appropriate assistance.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers readily approach an appropriate person who is available and able to respond?
Relevant considerations include responder availability, the individual's willingness to approach them and the suitability of the assistance provided.
Item 6Remote Human Support
Foreseeable situation
A worker is willing and able to contact remote human support when on-site assistance is unavailable.
Potential consequence
Distress may continue while local assistance remains unavailable.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers promptly contact an appropriate human responder remotely?
An organisation should consider whether remote services are accessible during relevant working periods and whether employees know how to contact them.
Item 7Urgent Professional Crisis Intervention
Foreseeable situation
A worker requires urgent professional intervention because of a serious mental-health crisis or risk of harm.
Potential consequence
Serious injury or death.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testIs there a clearly defined and immediately accessible route to professional crisis intervention?
Emergency arrangements should be appropriate to the location and foreseeable risks.
Self-guided support must not delay urgent professional or emergency intervention.
Private & Immediate Stabilisation
Item 4 · Key Support GapSupport Without Asking for Help
Foreseeable situation
A worker needs support but is unwilling or unable to ask another person for help.
Potential consequence
Support dependent on disclosure or active help-seeking may not be accessed. Distress may therefore continue or escalate.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers obtain meaningful support privately, without requiring disclosure or asking another person for help?
This situation concerns accessibility independently of another person's availability or the worker's willingness to disclose their circumstances. An EAP or trained responder may remain valuable but may not fully address this specific requirement.
Item 5 · Key Support GapImmediate Stabilisation Where Distress Occurs
Foreseeable situation
A worker experiences acute distress or a panic attack requiring immediate stabilisation where the incident occurs.
Potential consequence
Acute distress may continue or escalate without timely assistance.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers clearly see and access an immediate self-stabilisation tool without registration, disclosure or personal-information requirements?
The location and visibility of support are relevant. A tool that exists but cannot readily be found may not adequately control this situation.
Item 8 · Key Support GapSupport While Waiting for Professional Assistance
Foreseeable situation
A worker needs immediate support while waiting for professional assistance.
Potential consequence
Distress may continue or intensify before professional support becomes available.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testCan workers access stabilisation support during the period before professional assistance becomes available?
The purpose is to provide an appropriate additional layer of support. It does not replace the professional assistance being sought.
Items 4, 5 and 8 are examined further in Gaps & Controls.
Post-Incident & Continuing Support
Item 9Support Following a Traumatic Workplace Incident
Foreseeable situation
A worker is psychologically affected following a traumatic or serious workplace incident.
Potential consequence
Acute or delayed psychological harm.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testAre appropriate immediate and subsequent support arrangements available following a serious incident?
The assessment should consider both the immediate response and the arrangements for subsequent assistance. Support needs may continue or become apparent after the incident itself.
Item 10Continuing Support and Return to Work
Foreseeable situation
A worker requires ongoing support following mental-health-related absence or impairment.
Potential consequence
Relapse, prolonged absence or difficulty returning safely to work.
Controls directly applicable
Adequacy testIs there a structured process for assessment, adjustment and continuing support?
Appropriate arrangements should consider the worker's circumstances, relevant professional advice and any reasonable workplace adjustments. The objective is to support a safe and sustainable return to work where appropriate.
Understanding the Assessment Criteria
Each assessment row contains five components.
- Foreseeable Situation
- The situation in which a worker may require support. It identifies the practical need being assessed.
- Potential Consequence
- The harm or difficulty that may arise if suitable support is unavailable. Consequences are possibilities, not predictions that harm will necessarily occur.
- Controls Directly Applicable
- Examples of arrangements that may help address the identified situation. The published controls are not an exhaustive list. An organisation may use different measures where they adequately address the relevant need.
- Adequacy Test
- A practical question used to determine whether the controls provide meaningful coverage. The assessment considers actual access, availability and effectiveness rather than the mere existence of a service.
Assessment Status
Each situation receives one of three classifications:
-
A: Adequately Controlled
Suitable arrangements are in place and provide appropriate practical coverage.
-
P: Partially Controlled
Some support exists, but relevant limitations or gaps remain.
-
U: Uncontrolled
The situation is not adequately addressed by the existing arrangements.
The assessment should be completed according to the circumstances of the organisation and the evidence available.
A single positive finding does not establish that all ten situations are adequately controlled.