Recognising and managing risks in the workplace that may lead to physical or psychological injury is an essential part of creating a safe, healthy and productive workplace. Employers and PCBUs have a legal responsibility to manage hazards and risks in the workplace.

As the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 defines health as both physical and psychological, use these resources as guidance on risk management for physical and psychosocial hazards:

• SafeWork NSW: Code of practice – Managing psychosocial hazards at work
• Safe Work Australia: Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks

Identifying psychosocial hazards at work

Free People at Work tool

People at Work is a psychosocial risk assessment process.

It is Australia’s only validated and evidence based psychosocial risk assessment survey tool with benchmarking that measures psychosocial hazards and factors.

People at Work can help you comply with your health and safety duties, better manage work-related psychosocial hazards and factors and prevent psychological harm.

Organisations that undertake People at Work will have access to:

• the People at Work survey, a psychosocial risk assessment tool that is now available digitally to Australian organisations at no cost
• all materials required to administer and report on the People at Work survey, including access to automated and customised reports, interactive learning modules and resources to assist in implementing a psychosocial risk management approach and evaluating the effectiveness of chosen interventions.

Australian work health and safety regulators have jointly funded People at Work to provide free tools and resources. The hazards measured by the People at Work survey are based on decades of research highlighting the factors that influence a worker’s psychological health and safety. The psychosocial hazards are also based on guidance from Safe Work Australia.

Workplaces that participate will learn about their unique risk factors for work-related psychological injury, which are highlighted through the risk assessment process. A comprehensive report outlining these unique risk factors is generated, allowing workplaces to tailor their risk control plans and ensure suitable controls are in place where they are most needed.

Send a clear message to workers that you value their mental health and wellbeing and reap the benefits of reduced workers’ compensation claims and improved worker productivity, satisfaction and engagement.

Learn more about People at Work.

Workplace risk factors

Some workplace risk factors include (but are not limited to):

• Workplace stress
• Bullying
• Fatigue
• Violence

Creating mentally healthy workplaces

Mentally healthy workplaces can also provide workers with many benefits such as confidence, a feeling of belonging, financial security, a sense of purpose, achievement and social connections and networks. These benefits can flow back into the business in many ways including increased productivity, reduced injuries and positive workplace culture.

A mentally healthy workplace has the following principles and behaviours:

• mental health is everyone’s responsibility and is led by business leaders
• mental health is considered in every way you do business
• everyone contributes to a culture where people feel safe and supported to talk about mental health
• mental health support is tailored for individuals and teams
• everyone can see you're finding better ways to support worker mental health.

To find out how to create a mentally healthy workplace please visit the mental health at work website or use the resources below.

Requirements for managing the risks of psychosocial hazards

The changes under the Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation 2022 require the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace. It defines ‘psychosocial hazard’ and ‘psychosocial risk’ and clarifies the appropriate control measures that persons conducting a business or undertaking are required to implement to manage those risks.

These provisions complement the existing Code of practice – Managing psychosocial hazards at work, which already provides practical guidance for PCBUs to identify and manage psychosocial hazards at work. They clarify PCBUs’ existing obligations to manage risks to the health and safety of workers, including their psychological health.

Outline of changes to WHS Regulations

There are three key amendments being made to the regulations:

• adding a definition of psychosocial hazards to the regulations
• clarifying that a PCBU must manage psychosocial hazards
• requiring that a PCBU must implement control measures to:
  (a) eliminate psychosocial risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and
  (b) if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate psychosocial risks, to minimise the risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

More detailed information on each of the amendments is outlined below. Read the full amendment. The amendment should be read in conjunction with the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

Meaning of psychosocial hazard and psychosocial risk

A psychosocial hazard is a hazard that may cause psychological harm and arises from, or relates to:

• the design or management of work
• a work environment
• plant at a workplace
• workplace interactions or behaviours.

Psychosocial hazards at work are aspects of work and situations that may cause a stress response which in turn can lead to psychological or physical harm. Some common psychosocial hazards include:

• role overload (high workloads or job demands)
• role underload (low workloads or job demands)
• exposure to traumatic events
• remote or isolated work
• harassment, including sexual harassment.

A psychosocial risk is a risk to the health and safety of a worker or other person arising from a psychosocial hazard.

How PCBUs (businesses) should manage psychosocial risks

Guidance on how to identify and manage psychosocial risks are provided in the Code of practice – Managing psychosocial hazards at work.

Our guide to Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks (PDF, 990.16 KB) also offers practical support and information for PCBUs on using work design to manage the risk of psychosocial hazards and risks as set out in the WHS Regulation and the Code of Practice.

How to identify appropriate control measures to manage psychosocial risks

You must implement control measures that remove psychosocial risks, so far as is reasonably practicable. If it is not reasonably practicable to remove the psychosocial risks, you must minimise the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.

In working out what control measures to use, you should have regard to all relevant things in your workplace, including:

• the length and severity of psychosocial hazards, and how frequently workers and other persons are exposed to them
• the design of work, including job demands and tasks
• the systems of work, including how work is managed, organised and supported
• the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of the workplace, including provision of:
  • safe means of entering and exiting the workplace, and
  • facilities for the welfare of workers, for example, accessibility to toilets and drinking water
• the design and layout, and environmental conditions, of workers’ accommodation, for example, does the workers’ accommodation consider extreme temperatures, personal privacy/amenities, does the design prevent or inhibit aggressive or violent behaviour?
• the plant, substances and structures at the workplace, for example, the provision of personal protective equipment
• workplace interactions or behaviours
• the information training, instruction and supervision provided to workers.

Related information

For more information on how to manage psychosocial risks in your workplace, see:

• Mental health at work
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011

Useful resources

• Best Practice Guide for flexible and work-from-home arrangements (PDF) – Centre for Work Health and Safety
• Consulting your workers about psychosocial hazards and risks - This fact sheet provides guidance for small businesses on consulting workers about psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
• Preventing Psychological Harm: First Steps for Small Business - This fact sheet outlines first steps for small businesses to prevent psychological harm by focusing on fixing work conditions rather than workers.
• Psychological Health and Safety Strategy 2024-2026 – SafeWork NSW

Crisis support

The following organisations provide crisis support and assistance:

• Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• beyondblue 1300 22 4636
• Headspace 1800 650 890
• Mensline 1300 789 978
• Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467