OH Consultant

Psychosocial Safety · Australia

The mental health of workers is now a regulated WHS duty.

Across all Australian jurisdictions, PCBUs must identify, assess, and control psychosocial hazards under the WHS Regulations — with the same rigour applied to chemical, physical, and ergonomic risks. We help you meet that duty.

WHS Regulation 55C — Managing psychosocial risks

“A person conducting a business or undertaking must manage psychosocial risks to health and safety in accordance with Part 3.1.”

Model WHS Regulations · Adopted by NSW, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT, Cth (Comcare)

PsychSafe Compliance Packs

Choose your jurisdiction & tier.

Each edition references the specific legislation for that jurisdiction. Higher tiers add documents for deeper risk programs. Instant download, fully editable.

Compliance Basics$495 AUD

NSW · 2 documents

Includes

■Psychosocial Hazard Register
■Controls Decision Log
Risk Assessment Starter$995 AUD

NSW · 3 documents

Includes

■Psychosocial Hazard Register
■Controls Decision Log
■Risk Assessment Workbook
Complete Program$1,795 AUD

NSW · 5 documents

Includes

■Psychosocial Hazard Register
■Controls Decision Log
■Risk Assessment Workbook
■Risk Management Plan
■Worker Consultation Pack

The Cost of Non-Compliance

Psychosocial breaches carry the same penalties as physical harm.

$11.15M
Maximum Category 1 penalty for a body corporate — reckless conduct exposing workers to risk of psychological harm.
$2.32M
Officer liability under Section 27 — plus 10 years imprisonment for Category 1 offences.
$50,000+
Typical SafeWork inspectorate penalties for failing to manage psychosocial risk under Reg 55C.
9× longer
Average duration of mental injury claims compared to physical injury claims in Australia.

The Legal Framework

Four instruments now govern your psychosocial duty.

Treating psychosocial harm as “soft” is no longer defensible. The regulatory architecture is explicit, prescriptive, and enforceable.

Primary Duty

WHS Act 2011, Section 19

Establishes the PCBU's primary duty of care to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers. The Act expressly defines "health" as both physical and psychological — making mental harm a Category 1 prosecutable offence.

Cth · NSW · QLD · SA · TAS · ACT · NT · WA

Operational Standard

WHS Regulation 55A–55D

Defines a psychosocial hazard as anything in the design or management of work that may cause psychological or physical harm. Mandates the standard hierarchy of controls and prescribes specific factors PCBUs must consider when implementing controls.

Model Regs adopted nationally · NSW commenced 1 Oct 2022

Practical Guidance

Codes of Practice

Each jurisdiction has published an approved Code of Practice on Managing Psychosocial Hazards. These are admissible in court as evidence of what is reasonably practicable, and inspectors use them as the benchmark during workplace audits.

SWA model Code · State-specific variants in force

International Benchmark

ISO 45003:2021

The first international standard for managing psychological health and safety at work. Aligns with ISO 45001 OHS management systems. Increasingly cited in tenders, contractor pre-qualifications, and ESG reporting frameworks.

ISO/AS · Voluntary but evidence-grade

State-by-State Status

Where each jurisdiction stands today.

Every Australian jurisdiction has now codified psychosocial duties. Our compliance packs reference the exact instrument applicable to your state.

JurisdictionInstrumentCode of PracticeStatus
NSWWHS Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulation 2022SafeWork NSW Code · 2021In Force
QLDWHS Regulation 2011 — Reg 55A–55D insertedManaging Psychosocial Hazards · 2022In Force
VICOHS Regulations 2017 — Psychological Health AmendmentsWorkSafe Victoria Compliance CodeCommenced
WAWHS (General) Regulations 2022 — Reg 55A–55DPsychosocial Hazards CoP · 2022In Force
SAWHS Regulations 2012 (SA) — Reg 55A–55DSafeWork SA Code · 2023In Force
TASWork Health and Safety Regulations 2022WorkSafe TAS Code · 2024In Force
ACTWHS Regulation 2011 (ACT) — Reg 55A–55DWorkSafe ACT CodeIn Force
NTWHS (National Uniform Legislation) RegulationsNT WorkSafe CodeIn Force
CthWHS Regulations 2011 (Cwlth) — Comcare jurisdictionComcare Guidance MaterialIn Force

The 14 Recognised Hazards

What regulators expect you to identify and control.

The Safe Work Australia model code names fourteen specific psychosocial hazards. Your hazard register must address each that is reasonably foreseeable in your work design.

01
High & Low Job Demands — Sustained excessive workload, time pressure, or under-utilisation of skills.
02
Low Job Control — Limited autonomy over how, when, or in what order work is performed.
03
Poor Support — Inadequate supervisor or co-worker support, training, equipment, or resources.
04
Lack of Role Clarity — Conflicting expectations, unclear responsibilities, or frequent role changes.
05
Poor Change Management — Organisational change without adequate consultation, planning, or support.
06
Inadequate Reward & Recognition — Imbalance between effort expended and recognition or reward received.
07
Poor Organisational Justice — Procedural unfairness, inconsistent decisions, or lack of transparency.
08
Traumatic Events — Exposure to disturbing material, serious incidents, or distressed persons.
09
Remote or Isolated Work — Work performed alone or in locations distant from emergency assistance.
10
Poor Physical Environment — Noise, heat, lighting, or air quality affecting psychological wellbeing.
11
Violence & Aggression — Threats, assaults, or aggressive behaviour from clients, public, or co-workers.
12
Bullying — Repeated unreasonable behaviour creating risk to health and safety.
13
Harassment & Sexual Harassment — Unwanted conduct including conduct on the basis of a protected attribute.
14
Conflict & Poor Relationships — Interpersonal conflict, rivalries, or breakdown of working relationships.
“PCBUs must eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The same hierarchy of controls that applies to chemical and physical hazards applies here.”
— Safe Work Australia · Model Code of Practice · Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

A Typical Engagement

From hazard identification to audit-ready evidence.

The same hierarchy used for chemical and physical risk applies to psychosocial. Here is how we structure a defensible compliance position.

1

Identify

Confirm which of the 14 hazards are reasonably foreseeable in your work design. Worker consultation, complaint pattern review, exit data, and validated survey instruments.

2

Assess

Quantify likelihood, exposure duration, and severity of harm using a structured matrix aligned to ISO 31000 and the SWA Code. Document drivers behind each hazard.

3

Control

Apply the hierarchy of controls — eliminate where possible, then substitute, isolate, engineer, administer, and finally PPE-equivalents (training, support). Document each decision.

4

Review

Schedule periodic review triggered by incidents, complaints, restructures, or new work arrangements. Maintain a closed-loop audit trail showing the duty has been discharged.

Why The Cost Of Inaction Is Rising

The regulator is no longer waiting for serious harm before acting.

Improvement notices and prohibition notices for psychosocial breaches are now being issued before any reportable incident has occurred. SafeWork inspectorates have published audit campaigns specifically targeting psychosocial risk management, and prosecutions are flowing through.

Insurers are repricing workers’ compensation premiums based on documented psychosocial risk management. ESG reports increasingly require ISO 45003 disclosure. Tender pre-qualifications now ask the question explicitly.

9.3%

of all serious workers' compensation claims in Australia are mental health conditions — and rising annually.

Safe Work Australia
$58k

Median compensation paid for an accepted mental health claim — versus $16,000 for physical injury.

SWA Key Statistics
34 wks

Median time lost from work for a mental injury claim — more than triple the median for physical injury.

SWA Compendium
$39B

Estimated annual cost of poor mental health to Australian employers in lost productivity and absenteeism.

Productivity Commission

Frequently Asked

What PCBUs most often ask us.

Choose how to discharge the duty.

Documents in your inbox by tomorrow. A scoping call this week. A demo of the software platform. Or a verified practitioner on site. Whichever path matches your situation — start here.

Australian-registered occupational hygiene and WHS consultancy. Built by a team of certified and experienced occupational hygiene professionals.