Psychosocial hazards are parts of work that can harm mental health. They include heavy workloads, poor support, unclear roles, bullying and exposure to trauma. Across Australia, employers have a legal duty to manage them.
This guide sets out the common psychosocial hazards named by Safe Work Australia, what they can look like day to day, and the kinds of controls that help. It is written for employers, HR teams and managers.
मुख्य बिंदु
- A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design, management or social side of work that may cause psychological harm.
- Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice names common hazards, including job demands, low job control, poor support, bullying and traumatic events.
- Risk depends on how long, how often and how severely people are exposed, and hazards can combine.
- Controls are most effective when they change the work itself, such as staffing, rosters and processes, rather than relying on training alone.
- Consulting workers is a legal requirement and one of the most useful ways to find hazards.
What is a psychosocial hazard?
Safe Work Australia describes psychosocial hazards as anything at work that may cause psychological harm. They can come from:
- the design or management of work
- the working environment or equipment
- workplace interactions or behaviours, such as bullying, harassment and aggression
Psychological harm can include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and sleep problems. Stress reactions can also affect physical health.
द Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work (July 2022) explains how persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs, usually employers) can meet their duties. A model code only has legal effect once a state or territory approves it, so check with your regulator. Victoria has its own psychological health regulations and compliance code, which cover similar ground.
Common psychosocial hazards, with examples
The model Code lists these common hazards. The examples are illustrations, not a complete list.
| Hazard | What it can look like |
|---|---|
| Job demands | Sustained high workloads, tight deadlines, long hours, emotionally draining work, or very low demands and boredom |
| Low job control | Little say over how or when work is done, rigid scripts, constant monitoring |
| Poor support | Managers who are hard to reach, not enough tools, training or information |
| Lack of role clarity | Conflicting instructions, unclear responsibilities, frequent changes to expectations |
| Poor organisational change management | Restructures with little consultation, poor communication or no planning for workload |
| Inadequate reward and recognition | Effort that goes unnoticed, little feedback, unequal recognition |
| Poor organisational justice | Decisions made unfairly or inconsistently, favouritism, no chance to respond |
| Traumatic events or material | Witnessing serious injury, dealing with distressed clients, reviewing disturbing content |
| Remote or isolated work | Working alone, in remote locations, or with limited contact and help |
| Poor physical environment | Noise, heat, poor lighting, cramped or unsafe spaces |
| Violence and aggression | Threats, abuse or assault from clients, customers or colleagues |
| Bullying | Repeated unreasonable behaviour towards a worker or group that creates a risk to health and safety |
| Harassment, including sexual harassment | Unwelcome conduct linked to sex, race, disability, age or other personal characteristics |
| Conflict or poor workplace relationships | Ongoing tension, exclusion, incivility or unresolved disputes |
WorkSafe Victoria’s compliance code uses a similar list and also names gendered violence and low job demands.
Why duration, frequency and severity matter
Not every hard week causes harm. Safe Work Australia’s Code asks you to consider how long exposure lasts, how often it happens and how severe it is.
For example, a single very distressing event can cause harm. So can a moderate hazard that continues for months, such as ongoing understaffing.
Hazards also interact. The Code notes that hazards can combine to increase risk. A team with high demands, low control and poor support is at more risk than a team facing only one of these. The good news is that fixing one hazard can reduce others.
Warning signs worth noticing
Psychosocial hazards are not always obvious. These patterns can suggest a team or role needs a closer look:
- rising sick leave, overtime or staff turnover in one area
- more complaints, conflict or grievances than usual
- people skipping breaks, working late or taking work home most days
- errors or near misses increasing
- quiet withdrawal, such as fewer ideas in meetings or people keeping cameras off
- exit interviews that mention the same manager, process or workload issue
None of these proves a hazard exists. They are prompts to ask questions, consult the team and look at how the work is set up.
How to manage psychosocial hazards: four steps
- Identify hazards. Talk with workers, observe how work is done and review data such as complaints, sick leave, turnover and incident reports. WorkSafe Victoria points out that few reports does not mean few hazards. It may mean people do not feel safe to report.
- Assess risks. Consider who is exposed, how often, for how long and how serious the harm could be.
- Control risks. Eliminate the risk if you can. If not, reduce it as far as is reasonably practicable.
- Review controls. Check that controls are working, especially after changes, incidents or new information.
Consultation runs through every step. Workers must be consulted when you identify hazards, assess risks and decide on controls. They may describe hazards in everyday words, such as “we’re always short” or “nobody tells us anything”, rather than formal terms.
Examples of controls that change the work
The most effective controls change the work itself. Training and information help, but they should support other controls. In Victoria, training must not be the main control.
For example, imagine a customer service team with long call queues, scripted calls and frequent abuse from callers. A stress management workshop alone would not address the causes. Better controls might include adding staff at peak times, giving experienced staff more freedom to resolve calls, allowing short breaks after abusive calls and having a clear process to end abusive calls.
Job demands and low control
- Plan staffing to match workload, including peak periods and leave
- Set realistic targets with input from the people doing the work
- Give people more say over the order and pace of tasks where possible
Poor support and role clarity
- Make sure managers have time to support their teams, not only to report upwards
- Write clear role descriptions and one clear line of reporting
- Build supervisor skills in giving feedback and responding to distress
Traumatic events and aggression
- Limit repeated exposure through role design and rotation
- Use physical barriers, duress alarms and security where aggression is a risk, backed by de-escalation training
- Provide peer support and access to psychological support after incidents
Remote or isolated work
- Set up regular check-ins and reliable ways to call for help
- Avoid rosters that leave people alone for long periods where you can
Conflict, bullying and harassment
- Have clear policies and more than one way to report, including confidential options
- Respond early to conflict, before it hardens
- Use fair, timely and impartial investigations for serious complaints
WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance on controlling risks gives further examples.
Invictus Health कैसे मदद कर सकता है
Managing psychosocial hazards is mainly about how work is organised. Our psychologists and neuropsychologists can support the people side of that work.
- Workplace programs on resilience, moral injury, leadership and culture
- Mental Health First Aid training for staff, managers and boards
- Workplace mediation when conflict between colleagues is affecting wellbeing and it is safe to use
- परामर्श for individuals, in person at Preston or by telehealth
This article is general information. For advice about your legal duties, speak with your WHS regulator or a workplace lawyer.
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले प्रश्न
What are the most common psychosocial hazards?
Safe Work Australia’s model Code lists common hazards including job demands, low job control, poor support, lack of role clarity, poorly managed change, inadequate recognition, poor organisational justice, traumatic events, remote or isolated work, poor physical environments, violence and aggression, bullying, harassment, and conflict or poor workplace relationships. In many workplaces, workload and support are the first places to look.
Is stress a psychosocial hazard?
Stress is usually described as a response to a hazard rather than the hazard itself. The hazard is the work factor causing it, such as unrealistic deadlines or aggression from customers. If stress is severe or goes on for a long time, it can lead to psychological or physical harm. That is why the focus is on finding and fixing the cause.
Who is responsible for managing psychosocial hazards?
The employer, or PCBU, holds the main duty to eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Officers such as directors have duties to make sure the organisation has the right resources and processes. Workers must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others, and follow reasonable instructions.
How do you measure psychosocial risk in a workplace?
Use several sources together. These can include consultation with workers and health and safety representatives, validated psychosocial surveys, incident and complaint records, sick leave and turnover data, and workers compensation trends. Observing how work is actually done also helps. Look for patterns across teams and over time, not just single events.
Does an employee assistance program count as a control?
An employee assistance program (EAP) offers confidential counselling and can be a useful part of post-incident support. It does not remove the cause of harm, so it should sit alongside controls that change the work, such as staffing, role design or physical safety measures. Relying on an EAP alone is unlikely to be enough.
Build a mentally healthy workplace
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संदर्भ
- Safe Work Australia. Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work. Safe Work Australia; July 2022. safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing…
- Safe Work Australia. Managing psychosocial hazards at work: Code of Practice (PDF). Safe Work Australia; 2022. safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-08/mode…
- Safe Work Australia. New model WHS Regulations and Code of Practice to help prevent psychological harm at work. Safe Work Australia; 2022. safeworkaustralia.gov.au/media-centre/news/new-model-whs-…
- WorkSafe Victoria. Compliance code: Psychological health. Part 3, Step 1: Identify hazards. WorkSafe Victoria; 2025. worksafe.vic.gov.au/compliance-code-psychological-health-…
- WorkSafe Victoria. Compliance code: Psychological health. Part 3, Step 3: Control risks. WorkSafe Victoria; 2025. worksafe.vic.gov.au/compliance-code-psychological-health-…
Questions about this topic?
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