New Psychosocial Hazard Requirements for Victorian Employers

This is an abridgment of article by Clayton Utz

From 1 December 2025, new workplace safety requirements have come into effect in Victoria that place a stronger focus on psychological health at work. These changes mean employers must actively identify and manage psychosocial hazards, treating them with the same importance as physical safety risks.

This marks a significant shift in how workplace health and safety is approached, recognising that factors such as work pressure, behaviour, and organisational practices can cause serious harm if not properly managed.

What Are Psychosocial Hazards?

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work that can negatively impact mental health. These can arise from how work is designed, managed or carried out, as well as from workplace interactions.

Common examples include:

• High or excessive job demands
• Poor role clarity or lack of support
• Bullying, harassment or inappropriate behaviour
• Exposure to traumatic events
• Aggression or violence
• Poorly managed change
• Isolated or remote work

If left unaddressed, these hazards can contribute to stress, burnout, anxiety, depression and other psychological injuries.

What Has Changed?

Under the new requirements, Victorian employers must now:

• Identify psychosocial hazards in the workplace
• Assess the risks associated with those hazards
• Eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable
• Review controls regularly to ensure they remain effective, particularly when work conditions change

Importantly, this is not just about having policies in place. Employers are expected to take practical, meaningful action to manage psychosocial risks as part of their everyday safety systems.

Why This Matters

Psychological injuries can be just as serious as physical injuries, often leading to long recovery times and significant impacts on workers and teams. These new requirements reinforce that mental health is a core part of workplace safety, not a separate issue.

By proactively managing psychosocial hazards, organisations can:

• Improve worker wellbeing
• Reduce the risk of psychological injury claims
• Strengthen workplace culture
• Meet their legal safety obligations

What Employers Should Be Doing Now

To align with the new requirements, workplaces should consider:

• Reviewing existing policies and procedures to ensure psychosocial risks are clearly addressed
• Identifying roles or work areas where stress, conflict or high demands are common
• Implementing controls that address root causes, such as workload design, communication processes or supervision arrangements
• Regularly checking in with workers and reviewing controls after incidents or organisational changes

These changes signal a clear expectation that psychological health must be actively managed, not assumed. Embedding psychosocial risk management into everyday safety practices will help create healthier, safer and more sustainable workplaces.