Psychosocial hazards

Psychosocial factors at work can have both positive and negative effects on workers' health and safety.

Preventing psychological harm is an essential part of creating a healthy and safe workplace. This regulatory guide will assist you to understand the requirements of the regulations.

Job demands are one of the most common sources of workplace stress and psychological harm.

Fatigue can lead to serious short-term and long-term health effects on workers.

Low job control is when workers have little control over how or when their job is done, or if their work is tightly managed.

Job insecurity refers to employment where workers lack the assurance that their jobs will remain stable from day to day, week to week, or year to year.

Poor support includes not providing workers with adequate support including practical assistance and emotional support from managers and colleagues to complete a task or job.

Lack of role clarity, which can include unclear, inconsistent or frequently changing roles, responsibilities or expectations and a lack of important job-related information can be a mental health risk for workers.

Change is constant in working life and if managed well, can bring positive results for organisations and workers.

Jobs where there is an imbalance between workers' effort and recognition or rewards, both formal and informal can create a psychosocial risk.

Poor organisational justice, which can involve a lack of procedural justice, informational fairness or interpersonal fairness, can create a psychosocial workplace hazard.

Witnessing, investigating or being exposed to traumatic events or material is considered a workplace psychosocial hazard.

Working alone or remotely increases the risks to physical and psychological health in any job.

Intrusive surveillance refers to the use of unreasonable surveillance methods or tools used to monitor and collect information about workers.

Exposure to unpleasant, poor quality or hazardous working environments or conditions can have a negative impact on workers physical and mental health.

Workplace violence can be any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or in the course of their work.

Bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour towards a worker or workers, creating a risk to health and safety.

Harassment is a harmful behaviour that creates a risk to health or safety.

Guidance for persons conducting a business or undertaking about their duties under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and how to manage the risks of family and domestic violence at the workplace.

Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions can refer to a breakdown of individual and team relationships, conflict arising from tasks or relationships, violence and incivility.

We've compared three psychosocial risk management tools so you can consider if one is right for your workplace.

The following case studies are based on Comcare regulatory activity in response to incidents involving psychosocial hazards and risks at workplaces in the Commonwealth jurisdiction.

If you are experiencing problems in the workplace and you want to make a complaint, help is available.