Complete a Psychosocial Hazards Risk Assessment Plan

Psychosocial hazards are workplace factors that can cause psychological harm: high job demands, low control, poor support, role conflict, bullying, harassment, exposure to traumatic content, and similar. WHS regulations across Australian states now explicitly require employers to identify and manage these hazards, the same way you would physical ones.

The platform’s Psychosocial Hazards Risk Assessment Plan is your structured way to document this.

Start a new plan

1. Sidebar then WHS.
2. Open the risk assessments view.
3. Click to start a new plan and choose Psychosocial.

The plan structure mirrors a standard risk assessment, with a hazard register tuned to psychosocial risk factors.

What to think about

The fourteen psychosocial hazards commonly recognised in Australian WHS guidance are a good starting point. They include things like:

• High job demands or low job demands
• Low job control
• Poor support from supervisors or peers
• Lack of role clarity
• Poor change management
• Inadequate reward and recognition
• Poor organisational justice
• Traumatic events or material
• Remote or isolated work
• Poor physical environment
• Violence and aggression
• Bullying
• Harassment, including sexual harassment
• Conflict or poor workplace relationships

For each one that applies to your workplace, log it as a hazard in the register. For each:

• Description. Specific to your workplace (e.g. “On-call rotation for engineers means weekend disruption with no compensating recovery time”).
• Likelihood and consequence. Scored 1 to 5 each.
• Existing controls. What you already do.
• Additional controls. What you’ll do, who owns it, by when.
• Responsible person, target date, review date.

The platform auto-calculates risk rating from likelihood and consequence.

Engaging with workers

Psychosocial risk assessments are most effective when developed with worker input. The platform doesn’t run the consultation for you, but the plan is a good place to record what consultation has happened: surveys, toolbox talks, focus groups, manager check-ins.

Linking to your other systems

A psychosocial plan ties together with several other parts of the platform:

• Surveys. Regular pulse or wellbeing surveys can be a control or monitoring measure for several hazards.
• 1:1 Notes. Structured 1:1s with direct reports are a control for isolation, low support, and unclear roles.
• Policies. Bullying, harassment, and grievance policies should be current and acknowledged.
• Training records. Manager training on psychosocial risk and difficult conversations.

The platform doesn’t auto-link these, but the plan serves as a check on whether they’re all in place.

Finalise

Once the plan is complete:

1. Click to finalise.
2. The platform generates the finalised document, stored against the record with the finalisation date and who finalised it.

Set a review date (typically annual, sooner if your workplace is changing rapidly).

A note on advice

Psychosocial risk is an evolving area of WHS regulation. The platform helps you document your assessment but doesn’t determine whether your plan satisfies your specific state’s WHS code of practice or any other applicable regulation. For complex situations (recent psychological injury claims, restructure, M&A), engage a qualified WHS advisor.