Psychosocial Risk Management — Victoria

Psychosocial hazards are now regulated the same as physical hazards in Victoria

Workplace safety is incomplete without addressing psychosocial risks. Drawing on experience as a former WorkSafe Psychosocial Inspector — managing over 120 psychosocial health and safety concerns, conducting 200+ inspections, and issuing multiple improvement notices — we help employers transform systems of work, not just tick boxes.

Our approach: Rather than focusing on changing individuals, we address how work is designed, managed, and experienced — high job demands, insufficient support, workplace conflict, and poor change management.

Book a consultation Compliance review → Explore RAS Shop
200+psychosocial inspections conducted as a WorkSafe Victoria inspector
120+psychosocial health and safety concerns managed directly
18psychosocial hazards identified in Victoria's Compliance Code

Systems thinking, not individual blame

Most psychosocial interventions fail because they target individuals — resilience training, wellbeing apps, EAP referrals. These have a place, but they don't address the source of the risk.

We work upstream: how work is designed, how decisions are made, how people are supported, and how change is managed. When you fix the system, the hazards reduce. When you only fix the person, the hazards persist.

Industries we support

Psychosocial hazards vary by sector. We bring direct experience across high-risk industries in Victoria.

Healthcare & Residential Aged Care
Education
Manufacturing
Retail
Logistics & Warehousing
Shipping & Maritime

Psychosocial hazards under Victorian law

The Compliance Code for Psychological Health identifies 18 psychosocial hazards. Employers must identify, assess, and control these so far as is reasonably practicable.

Interpersonal and behavioural

BullyingRepeated, unreasonable behaviour directed at an employee that creates a risk to health and safety
Sexual harassmentUnwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in the course of employment that creates a risk to health or safety
Work-related violence and aggressionAny incident where a person is abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work
Harassment on the basis of a protected attributeDiscrimination-related conduct that creates a hostile or unsafe work environment
Poor workplace relationships or conflictUnresolved interpersonal conflict, discrimination, or breakdown in working relationships
Exposure to traumatic events or contentExposure to workplace violence, abuse, death, injury, or distressing material

Work design and demands

High job demandsSustained high workload, time pressure, emotional demands, or cognitive load
Low job demandsMonotonous, repetitive, or under-stimulating work
Low job controlMinimal control over work tasks, methods, pace, or timing
Lack of role clarityAmbiguous roles, conflicting expectations, or frequent unexplained changes to tasks
FatigueWork scheduling, shift patterns, or workload that contributes to physical or mental fatigue
Hazardous manual handling combined with psychosocial factorsPhysical demands compounded by time pressure, low control, or poor support

Organisational and environmental

Poor supportLack of emotional or practical support from supervisors or colleagues
Poor organisational change managementInsufficient planning, communication, or consultation during workplace changes
Poor organisational justiceUnfair decision-making, biased policies, or inequitable resource allocation
Inadequate reward and recognitionInsufficient feedback, acknowledgment, or development opportunities
Remote or isolated workLimited access to resources, support, or communication due to location or work arrangement
Poor environmental conditionsExposure to extreme noise, temperature, hazardous substances, or unsafe workspaces that compound psychosocial risk

Services

Practical, systems-based psychosocial risk management — not generic templates or tick-box compliance.

Psychosocial hazard assessments

Risk assessments using a systems-thinking approach. We identify how behavioural and work-related factors interact with each other and with physical OHS risks — mapping hazards against tasks, activities, and functions.

Incident investigation

Investigation of incidents related to bullying, harassment, violence, or psychosocial harm. Root cause analysis with recommendations for systemic prevention, not just individual response.

Workplace environment assessments for OVA

Comprehensive evaluations of occupational violence and aggression risk — analysing workplace layout, visibility, access control, and environmental design. Tailored to healthcare, education, retail, and aged care.

Policy development and review

Creating or updating workplace policies to address bullying, harassment, discrimination, and psychosocial hazards in line with the Psychological Health Regulations 2025.

Organisational change management support

Guidance for managing change processes with transparency, communication, and genuine consultation — reducing the psychosocial risk that poorly managed change creates.

Training and awareness programs

Tailored training for employees and management — responding to inappropriate workplace behaviours, issue resolution processes, OVA response, and building psychosocial hazard awareness across all levels.

Need a structured compliance review?

If you need a full assessment of your psychosocial compliance position against the Psychological Health Regulations 2025, with an action plan and evidence guide for WorkSafe — that's our Compliance Review.

Psychosocial compliance review → Get free psychosocial checklist

Why RAS-OHS for psychosocial risk

Former WorkSafe psychosocial inspector

Dhawal Patel managed over 120 psychosocial health and safety concerns and conducted 200+ inspections as a WorkSafe Victoria inspector. He's issued improvement notices for psychosocial non-compliance and knows exactly what the regulator expects.

Systems thinking, not symptom chasing

We address how work is designed, managed, and experienced — not just the behaviours that result from poor systems. This is what the regulations actually require: controls at the source.

Both physical and psychosocial

Most psychosocial consultants don't understand physical OHS, and most OHS consultants don't understand psychosocial. We bridge both — because in reality, they interact constantly.

Practical advice for real workplaces

Healthcare, aged care, education, manufacturing, logistics, maritime. We understand the operational pressures your people face and build controls that actually work within them.

Talk to a former WorkSafe psychosocial inspector

30 minutes. No obligation. We'll discuss your situation, your industry, and what practical steps make sense.

Psychosocial compliance is no longer optional

The Psychological Health Regulations 2025 are in effect. WorkSafe is enforcing. Whether you need a full compliance review, a hazard assessment, or practical guidance on where to start — we can help.

Book a consultation Explore RAS Shop
Compliance Review Free Psychosocial Checklist WorkSafe Notice Response OHS Consulting Risk Assessment Guide
Trusted by businesses across Victoria to manage psychosocial risks with confidence.