What are the common psychosocial hazards at work?

A psychosocial hazard is anything in or about work that could cause psychological harm, which means harm to someone's mental health. It is not only about stress at the end of a hard week. It is about how work is designed, how it is managed and how people treat each other while doing it.

Safe Work Australia's list of common psychosocial hazards at work includes the ones below. Here is what each one can look like.

1. Job demands. Too much to do, too little to do, work that is emotionally draining, or work with unpredictable hours. Very repetitive, low-thinking tasks count too.
2. Low job control. Little say over how, when or in what order the work is done.
3. Poor support. Not enough practical or emotional help from supervisors and colleagues, or not enough information, training, tools or resources to do the job.
4. Lack of role clarity. Not being sure what the job involves, or being given conflicting priorities by different people.
5. Poor organisational change management. Restructures, relocations or new technology with too little consultation, communication or support.
6. Inadequate reward and recognition. An imbalance between the effort someone puts in and the feedback or recognition they get.
7. Poor organisational justice. Policies applied inconsistently, bias in decisions about work, or poor performance left unmanaged.
8. Traumatic events or material. Exposure to a traumatic event, or to distressing material as part of the job.
9. Remote or isolated work. Work where help is hard to reach, or where there are few or no other people around.
10. Poor physical environment. Noise, extreme temperatures, poor air quality or hazardous conditions.
11. Violence and aggression. Abuse, threats or assault from customers, clients or colleagues.
12. Bullying. Repeated unreasonable behaviour directed at a worker.
13. Harassment, including sexual and gender-based harassment.
14. Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions.

How common are they?

Safe Work Australia's Australian Worker Exposure Survey 2026 asked workers how often they meet some of these hazards. More than a third (37.3 per cent) said they face tight deadlines or pressure at work often or all the time. Across all industries, 8.9 per cent said they face verbal abuse, threats or violence at work often or all the time.

Hazards rarely arrive alone

Safe Work Australia notes that psychosocial hazards can interact and combine to create new or higher risks. High workloads are a manageable pressure on a good day. The same workload with no breaks and no one around to help is a different risk.

What employers have to do about them

Under the model work health and safety laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking must eliminate psychosocial risks or, where that is not reasonably practicable, minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable. Those laws apply in every state and territory except Victoria.

In Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 commenced on 1 December 2025. They require employers to identify psychosocial hazards, control the risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and review and revise those controls in the circumstances the Regulations set out. WorkSafe Victoria has published a compliance code with practical examples.

This is general information, not legal advice and not mental health advice. Your state or territory work health and safety regulator is the place for advice about your workplace.

Where Apex fits

Apex Learning and Development offers Managing Psychosocial Hazards for Leaders, a non-accredited professional development program for people leaders, managers, supervisors and business owners, delivered as a facilitated workshop by enquiry.

For front-line teams who meet violence and aggression from clients and customers, Apex runs the Personal Safety Program, a non-accredited professional development program delivered on site and built around your workplace.

These are non-accredited professional development programs. They are not nationally recognised training and do not lead to a qualification or statement of attainment.

Call or email us now: Allan on 0433 895 537 or info@apexld.edu.au

Apex Learning and Development, RTO 46324.