How to Begin a Psychosocial Risk Assessment: A Practical Guide for Australian Workplaces
The OHS Act 2004 has always defined health to include psychological health, and enforcement activity over the years, including improvement notices and prosecutions, shows that psychological health has long been part of compliance.
However, the introduction of the OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 and supporting guidance from WorkSafe Victoria now provides clearer direction for employers.
This clarity also raises expectations, requiring higher levels of risk control and an organizational, system-wide approach to managing health and safety in a holistic way.
For many organizations, the challenge is not willingness but knowing where to start and how to make it practical.
Why psychosocial risk management matters
Psychosocial hazards are socio-technical in nature. They arise from how work is designed, managed, and experienced.
High workloads, poor support, bullying, or exposure to aggression affect more than morale. They contribute to stress, absenteeism, and even physical injury.
Under the OHS Act 2004, employers must provide a workplace that is safe and without risks to health, including psychological health.
This is not about wellbeing programs or posters about self-care. It is about understanding how work itself can create harm and managing those risks so far as is reasonably practicable (SFAIRP).
Where organizations go wrong
Many businesses focus on reactive measures such as complaints handling, EAP, or resilience training, which are important and necessary, but these should complement, not replace, system-level controls that address the work design and organisational factors creating the risks.
Compliance is not achieved by policies alone. It is achieved by understanding how people interact with systems, technology, and each other, and by building safety into those interactions.
A simple way to begin
You do not need complex systems to start.
What you need is a structured, evidence-based way to understand your workplace and trace where psychosocial risks come from.
A practical psychosocial risk assessment follows four key stages.
1. Identify psychosocial hazards
Start by exploring how work is designed and experienced across departments or teams.
Look through multiple lenses such as core tasks, human interactions, decision-making, recognition and resources, organizational change, and environment.
Review internal data such as:
Incident and complaint reports
Absenteeism or turnover trends
Employee feedback or survey results
Client or customer aggression reports
Together, these help you see patterns and early warning signs. Some hazards may not yet have resulted in an incident but still indicate pressure points within your systems of work.
2. Link and map controls
Once hazards are identified, connect them to the work activities or functions where they occur.
Ask questions such as:
Which teams or roles are exposed?
What potential harm could occur, psychological or physical?
What controls already exist, and how effective are they?
Then consider whether stronger, higher-order controls can be introduced or whether the activity can be redesigned entirely.
This step naturally involves applying the hierarchy of control and the SFAIRP principle, ensuring decisions are sensible, achievable, and proportionate to the level of risk.
3. Examine high-risk hazards in depth
Some psychosocial hazards, such as aggression and violence, bullying, or excessive workload, require closer examination.
Break the activity into smaller stages and identify which part introduces or escalates the risk.
This helps clarify where controls are most effective and whether existing measures prevent exposure or simply respond to incidents after they occur.
4. Consult and review
Psychosocial risk management is a shared responsibility.
Engage workers, health and safety representatives, and relevant leaders when identifying hazards, assessing risks, and planning controls.
Consultation ensures the process captures real working conditions and supports practical, accepted solutions.
Keep a record of consultation at each stage. This demonstrates compliance under the OHS Act 2004 (s.35) and builds confidence in your overall process.
By following these four stages, you will move from uncertainty to clarity.
You will know where psychosocial hazards exist, who they affect, what controls are in place, and where improvements are required.
What good looks like
A mature approach focuses on:
Preventing hazards rather than reacting to harm
Embedding psychosocial risk management into operational, HR, and governance systems
Demonstrating evidence of consultation, system reviews, and proactive control measures
Psychological health is not an add-on. It is part of how safe, productive, and sustainable businesses operate.
Start your assessment today
The RAS-OHS Psychosocial Risk Management Pack (PSP) provides a compliant, ready-to-use framework to assess and manage psychosocial risks in your workplace.
Whether you are responding to the new Victorian regulations or strengthening your existing safety systems, this pack gives you the structure and clarity to begin confidently.
It can also support organizations outside Australia seeking to align with international standards such as ISO 45003 or to develop a consistent, systems-based approach to managing psychological health and safety.
