Media release: Tasmania’s free hospitality health, wellbeing and psychosocial safety program recognised alongside some of Australia’s largest organisations in the 2026 National Safety Awards of Excellence
HOSPO Health, the free preventative health, wellbeing and psychosocial safety program delivered by Hospitality Tasmania (HT), has been named a national finalist in the 2026 National Safety Awards of Excellence for Best Safety Leadership Program/Initiative.
The recognition puts Tasmania’s hospitality industry on the national stage, with HOSPO Health named alongside APA Group, Bupa Villages and Aged Care, the SA Water and SUEZ Production & Treatment Alliance, and Service Stream.
Developed specifically for hospitality, HOSPO Health is believed to be the first program of its kind in Australia and is completely free for every hospitality worker, leader and business across Tasmania – an industry of around 24,000 people.
But HOSPO Health goes well beyond traditional workplace wellbeing.
The program combines preventative health and wellbeing with psychosocial safety, helping businesses support workers to look after their own health while also addressing the workplace conditions, leadership practices and psychosocial hazards that can affect their wellbeing.
Its approach is based on three principles: prevent harm, promote the positive and respond to problems – recognising that creating mentally healthy workplaces means looking at both the individual and the work itself.
HOSPO Health addresses five interconnected areas of wellbeing – physical, mental, social, financial and occupational – through three programs designed to reach every level of the industry.
Hospitality workers can access a free self-paced online program, leaders have their own dedicated development program, and the intensive 12-month HOSPO Health Leaders Program works directly with leadership teams across 20 Tasmanian hospitality properties to create practical and lasting workplace change.
The program is evidence-based and tackles real workplace issues including workload and work demands, leadership support, recognition and reward, job insecurity, bullying, violence and harassment, workplace culture and psychological health and safety.
Hospitality Tasmania CEO Steve Old said the national recognition was a significant achievement for Tasmania’s hospitality industry.
“To be a national finalist alongside organisations of this scale is an incredibly proud moment,” Mr Old said.
“HOSPO Health was built specifically for our industry and the people who work in it. This recognition shows that Tasmania doesn’t need to be the biggest to lead – we can develop programs here that stand alongside the best in the country.”
HOSPO Health Chief Happiness Officer and lead coach Sherri Ring said the program was deliberately designed to move beyond the traditional approach to workplace wellbeing.
“For a long time, workplace wellbeing has focused heavily on the individual – telling people to exercise more, sleep better, manage their stress or become more resilient. Those things matter, but they’re only part of the picture,” Ms Ring said.
“You can’t resilience-train your way out of a workplace that is creating the problem.
“Real prevention means supporting the person and looking at the work: how people are led, workload and demands, whether people feel supported and valued, and the culture we create around them.
“That’s what makes HOSPO Health different. We’re bringing health, wellbeing and psychosocial safety together and making that support practical, evidence-based and completely free to Tasmania’s hospitality industry.
“We want people to be healthy and thriving at work – not wait until someone reaches crisis point before we step in.”
Tasmania’s Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Roger Jaensch, said a strong hospitality industry depended on having a healthy, supported and skilled workforce.
“Our hospitality workforce is at the heart of Tasmania’s visitor economy, and supporting the health and wellbeing of the people who work in our industry is incredibly important,” Minister Jaensch said.
“We committed to supporting HOSPO Health at the 2024 election, and it is fantastic to see the initiative now delivering practical support to workers, leaders and businesses across the State, helping strengthen the industry from the ground up.
“This national recognition is a great result and highlights the quality of work being done across our hospitality sector.”
Winners will be announced at the National Safety Awards of Excellence gala dinner, hosted by the NSCA Foundation at Shangri-La Sydney on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
Regardless of the outcome on the night, the finalist recognition places HOSPO Health among Australia’s standout safety leadership initiatives for 2026 and puts Tasmania’s hospitality industry firmly in the national conversation about the future of workplace health, wellbeing and psychosocial safety.
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About HOSPO Health
HOSPO Health is a preventative health, wellbeing and psychosocial safety program developed specifically for Tasmania’s hospitality industry and presented by Hospitality Tasmania.
Launched in 2022 with Tasmanian Government funding, HOSPO Health is completely free for every hospitality worker, leader and business in Tasmania.
Its evidence-based approach combines individual health and wellbeing support with workplace-level prevention, helping businesses prevent harm, promote positive wellbeing and respond effectively when problems arise.
HOSPO Health provides three programs spanning the entire industry: a self-paced program for hospitality workers, a dedicated online leaders’ program and an intensive 12-month HOSPO Health Leaders Program working directly with leadership teams across Tasmanian hospitality businesses.