Psychological Health Regulations: A Focus on Risk Management - a Summary of WorkSafe's Webinar

admin • October 27, 2025

Almost 14,000 people registered to attend WorkSafe Victoria’s webinar “Psychological Health Regulations: A focus on risk management” held on 27th October 2025.


The webinar was essentially an overview and pointed to a number of resources for employers to access to ensure they are compliant by 1st December 2025.


WorkSafe Representatives explained that employers have always had a duty to provide a safe workplace - including physically and psychologically. However, the new regulations introduce a specific duty relating to the need to identify and control risks associated with psychological health in the workplace.


Psychosocial hazards are factors in the workplace which may create a negative psychological response which can pose a risk to a worker’s health and safety (eg: long hours, work demands, low role clarity, sexual harassment, bullying, etc).


WorkSafe were very clear that The Psychological Health Regulations do not impact any workers eligibility for mental injury claim, as they have no impact on the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation (WIRC) Act.


The stated aims of the Regulations were as follows:

1.     To strengthen the OHS framework by recognising psychosocial hazards as equally harmful as physical hazards.

2.     To provide clearer guidance to employers on their obligations to protect employees from psychological injury.

3.     To create specific obligations for Victorian employers to identify and control psychosocial risks in their workplaces.

4.     To support employers through a range of tools and non-statutory guidance, including an optional prevention plan template to guide the risk management process.

5.     To ensure compliance by providing a practical code to help employers meet their duties under the Regulations.

These regulations are part of a broader effort to address the increasing prevalence of work-related mental injuries and to create a safer, more supportive work environment for all employees.

WorkSafe explained that they was now a prescribed risk management process which requires all employers to identify psychosocial hazards and to control the risks by eliminating or reducing the risks as far as reasonably practicable.


The risk management cycle

(see image below)

Step 1. Identify hazards

Step 2. Assess the risks (including likelihood and consequence)

Step 3: Control the risks (in line with the Hierarchy of Control)

Step 4: Review – monitor, review and revise

Throughout the process, consultation must occur


Hierarchy of Control

(see image below)

The WorkSafe representatives explained the hierarchy of control for psychosocial hazards – noting that elimination is the first priority, and if not possible then there were ways to reduce the risk by making changes to limit exposure or to reduce the effects of exposure to the psychosocial hazard.

In most cases, information, instruction or training will form part of the management of the risk. However, this should be in combination with higher order controls due to the fact that these are the least effective option.


Compliance code

The new compliance code Compliance code: Psychological health | WorkSafe Victoria provides a comprehensive guide to what is required in relation to the new Regulations.


Hazard prevention plan

There is a psychological hazard prevention plan template which can be found at:

Prevention plans for psychosocial hazards | WorkSafe Victoria which is a simple way to go through the risk management process and to document it.

Prevention plans are not mandatory – although strongly encouraged. You can use another method to carry out and record your risk management process.


Enforcement

WorkSafe inspectors may issue improvement notices in the same way as they do for physical hazards. Inspectors will be addressing complaints as well as conducting proactive and strategic workplace visits.

All employers, whether in a large or small business, will be required to comply.


Reporting

Employers need to treat psychological hazards in the same way as physical risks – so you can use your existing internal reporting processes for these too, although they may need to be adapted for this purpose.

There are no new mandatory reporting requirements.


Commencement

The Regulations commence on 1st December 2025, to allow time for employers to prepare.

It was noted by WorkSafe that the obligation to provide a work environment without risks to psychological health is already required under The Act and that there has been significant lead-time to the new Regulations. Therefore, there is an expectation that employers are already across the requirements, however there is still time prior to  1st December 2025 to ensure compliance with The Regulations.

Before December, employers should have in place: evidence of having identified and controlled psychosocial hazards and have a prevention plan (or alternative) in place, noting that consultation with employees must occur as part of this process.


Key takeaways:

  • Employees psychological health must be treated equally to physical health.
  • The Regulations and Compliance Code provide the guidance to employers on how to do that in the most effective way.
  • Employers are encouraged to have a close look at the Compliance Code, which provides practical guidance.
  • Risk management is an ongoing process, not a ‘set and forget’, there is a process of continuous improvement. This means ongoing monitoring and review of psychological risks and the controls.


For more information and resources:

WorkSafe psychological health page: Psychological health | WorkSafe Victoria

To view the full webinar: https://tsglive.com.au/HSMweb3

WorkSafe HSR of The Year!

By admin • March 3, 2026
The Annual WorkSafe Awards Night was held last week at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne. BeSafe was there and, of course, the highlight of the night was the presentation of the Award for Health and Safety Representative of The Year! This category acknowledges Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) who have represented their designated work group (DWG) in an outstanding manner. There were four finalists this year and all of them showed how effective representation by HSRs is vital to safe workplaces. Anna Musgrave – Ambulance Victoria Anna is an ALS paramedic from Maffra who worked on a really challenging workplace hazard: fatigue. She advocated for the health and safety of her DWG, ultimately creating a fatigue monitoring self-assessment tool and changing the culture around fatigue and fatigue management. See more about Anna here: https://youtu.be/7tXtrXnVfME?si=BdtOF4t-ZP61otfx Ben Lennon – Crown Melbourne Ben is a table games dealer at Crown Casino, a delegate and HSR. He has been able to ensure all workers’ DWGs are represented, help workers to understand their rights and to feel safe to report. By helping spa treatment workers with their safety issues, he was able to facilitate a resolution. He has focused on effective consultation through building trust and working together. See more about Ben here: https://youtu.be/iVCcWq1mjKw?si=7qz2VfKfv_RLiF9L Bess Taitoko and Owen Glassenbury – Northern Health Two amazing HSRs who worked together to address serious Occupational Violence and Aggression issues in the Broadmeadows Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. The working environment involved the balancing of patient safety and wellbeing and that of the staff. These HSRs worked within a complex environment to ensure the safety of the work group which they represent, including creating a flow chart to assess and address risks proactively. See more about Bess and Owen here: https://youtu.be/wySo4Q0Vuxw?si=r7HuyV11XQOuHa5u Manny Mason – City of Ballarat - The 2025 HSR of the year award winner! Manny works in the Arboriculture Unit at the City of Ballarat and has been an HSR for over 15 years. He has dealt with many issues over the years. He has provided support and advocacy in bullying and sexual harassment cases, through to addressing physical hazards in fountain maintenance. He highlighted the importance of communication, advocacy and supporting co-workers while holding the employer to account in ensuring the safety of the workplace.  See more about Manny here: https://youtu.be/EQwPxiu43FA?si=qtKYItVTAxt7rgnf Congratulations to these Safety Reps and a big shout out to all the HSR’s out there who are doing great work every single day as the safety superheroes in their workplace!

Coronial Findings on workplace deaths – an opportunity to learn

By admin • February 16, 2026
Coroners Court findings are an opportunity to learn – especially when it comes to a workplace death. The role of the Coroners Court is to: “investigate reportable deaths, reduce preventable deaths promote public health and safety and the administration of justice” About us | Coroners Court of Victoria The Coroners’ Court deals with certain reportable deaths and this includes “When someone dies from an accident or injury, even if there is a prolonged interval between the incident and death.” – including workplace deaths. These deaths must be reported to the coroner for investigation. All of these reportable deaths are allocated to a Coroner who then investigates the death and then will consider whether anything could be done differently to help prevent similar deaths in the future. Inquests are not held for every death, in fact less than 5% of deaths will be the subject of an inquest. The rest of the cases will have findings made ‘in chambers’. The Coroner may or may not make ‘recommendations’ to prevent future similar deaths. The Coroner may or may not then order for the findings to be published. Those cases which are published can be found at: Findings | Coroners Court of Victoria The findings into any death are always sobering reading. But in the case of work-related deaths there is almost always a preventative opportunity – even when no specific recommendations are made. For this reason, it is important that these findings are made publicly available for those who wish to review them and learn (– assuming that the worker’s family has approved the publication of the report). The Coroners Court says that they aim to ‘identify how similar deaths may be prevented’. If that is to truly be the case, then they need to be published and we must seek to read them and learn from these tragic deaths. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all would be if we do not learn from these horrific deaths in the workplace? We pay our respects to those who have lost their lives at work and acknowledge the pain and suffering of those left behind. Everyone has the right to come home from work alive and well at the end of the day.