Safety is no longer just hard hats and hazard tape.
For decades, workplace safety focused on physical harm. Helmets, harnesses, and caution tape defined the standard. But in 2025, that definition is no longer enough.
With new psychological safety legislation now in effect, organizations must recognize psychosocial risks. These are the everyday behaviours that quietly erode trust, drain energy, and damage performance.
Sarcasm. Gossip. Micromanagement. Emotional neglect. These may not leave visible scars, but they cause real harm. The reality is apparent: safety encompasses both physical and psychological aspects.
Safety is evolving – and compliance isn’t optional.
Psychosocial hazards are now recognized alongside physical ones. Canada’s new legislation makes it clear: psychological safety is essential.
Organizations that continue to view safety only through a physical lens risk compliance penalties, but more than this, they risk long-term culture damage. Not only will those who integrate behavioural health into their safety strategy adhere to the legislation, but they will also foster trust, performance, and resilience across their teams.
The cost of hazardous behaviour.
Hazardous behaviours carry heavy consequences:
- A single toxic leader can cost more than $100,000 in turnover.
- Stress-related leaves average $36,000 per claim.
- Burnout quietly drains productivity and disengages teams.
While the financial toll is significant, the human cost is even greater. When behaviours go unchecked, fear replaces trust and performance breaks down.
Why behaviour = safety.
Stress changes behaviour. Left unmanaged, it fuels conflict, withdrawal, and burnout.
These aren’t “soft” issues. They are predictable, preventable hazards, and they demand the same attention as faulty wiring or slippery floors. A toxic environment, shaped by incivility or lack of psychological safety, undermines performance as surely as any physical risk.
WHBIS: A proactive solution for modern workplaces.
At AIR, we built the Workplace Hazardous Behaviour Identification System (WHBIS) to help organizations close this gap.
WHBIS equips leaders and employees to:
- Recognize hazardous behaviours before they escalate.
- Intervene effectively with trauma-informed tools.
- Build systems that reinforce fairness, trust, and accountability.
- Measure progress with real-world data.
At the core of WHBIS is the RISE System: Recognition, Intervention, Sustainability, and Evaluation. Together, they create a roadmap for embedding psychological safety into daily practice.
With the updated launch of the AIR Campus, organizations now have direct access to WHBIS, an evidence-based, trauma-informed program designed to meet compliance requirements while fostering a stronger culture.
What organizations can do right now?
- Name the risks. Call behaviours like bullying and gossip what they are – hazards.
- Open the conversation. Normalize discussions about stress and resilience.
- Invest in training. Equip teams with the skills and systems they need to act.
- Take action today. Don’t wait for burnout or claims. Build resilience into safety strategy now with WHBIS.
The way forward
Workplaces don’t become psychologically safe by accident. They do it by design.
By embedding behavioural health into safety strategies, organizations reduce risk, strengthen culture, and unlock resilience across their teams. WHBIS makes that shift possible by linking science, training, and systems into one practical solution.
Ready to build a safer, healthier workplace? Enroll in the WHBIS course today.