PsychosocialGuard

Reference · Comcare & SafeWork Aligned

The 17 psychosocial hazards

Every Australian WHS regulator now requires employers to identify and manage psychosocial hazards the same way they manage physical ones. This is the unified list, compiled from the Comcare and SafeWork NSW frameworks, that PsychosocialGuard seeds into every assessment.

01

Job demands

High or low work demands causing stress: excessive workloads, time pressure, emotionally distressing work, or conversely monotonous and insufficient work.

02

Low job control

Limited autonomy over how, when or where work is done; excessive supervision or surveillance; inflexible procedures that prevent use of skills and judgement.

03

Poor support

Insufficient practical or emotional support from supervisors or co-workers; inadequate resources, equipment, information or feedback.

04

Role conflict or lack of role clarity

Conflicting priorities, unclear responsibilities, frequent unexplained changes, or missing task-related information and training.

05

Poor organisational change management

Poorly planned or communicated workplace changes; inadequate consultation, notice or support during transitions.

06

Inadequate reward and recognition

Imbalance between effort and recognition; lack of fair pay, acknowledgement, career advancement opportunities, or meaningful feedback.

07

Poor organisational justice

Perceived unfairness in decision-making, inconsistent application of policies, unfair resource or work allocation, or biased performance management.

08

Traumatic events or materials

Witnessing, investigating or being exposed to traumatic events or distressing content as part of the role.

09

Remote or isolated work

Working alone or in remote locations without ready access to support, increasing physical and psychological health risks.

10

Intrusive surveillance

Unreasonable monitoring methods or tools used to track worker activity, eroding autonomy, trust and privacy.

11

Hazardous physical environment

Exposure to unpleasant, poor quality or hazardous physical conditions that evoke a stress response (noise, temperature, air quality, dangerous equipment).

12

Violence and aggression

Any incident where a person is abused, threatened or assaulted arising out of, or in the course of, their work.

13

Bullying

Repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety.

14

Harassment including sexual harassment

Unwelcome conduct based on a protected attribute or of a sexual nature, creating a risk to health or safety.

15

Conflict or poor workplace relationships

Breakdown in individual or team relationships, frequent interpersonal conflict, harmful behaviours, or communication breakdown.

16

Fatigue

Insufficient rest or excessive work hours causing physical and mental exhaustion with serious short and long-term health effects.

17

Job insecurity

Lack of assurance that employment will remain stable from day to day, week to week or year to year, causing persistent anxiety.

Stop tracking these 17 hazards in a spreadsheet

Every hazard above is pre-mapped to legislation inside PsychosocialGuard, with a structured case file, action tracking, and one-click regulator-ready PDF reports.

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