Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT)
Sets the primary duty of care, with health including psychological health.
Australian Capital Territory · Employer guide
Psychosocial hazards in the workplace ACT
Safer work starts with your people.
What Australian Capital Territory law requires — and how to protect your people.
Understand your obligations
What are the rules in Australian Capital Territory?
Quick answer
In the ACT, psychosocial hazards in the workplace are managed under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT) and the WHS Regulation 2011 (ACT). Explicit psychosocial risk duties and the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice took effect on 27 November 2023. A separate Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Code followed on 11 November 2024. WorkSafe ACT is the regulator.
The legal framework
The laws that apply in ACT
Key milestones
How we got here
27 Nov 2023
Psychosocial regulations and Code of Practice take effect.
11 Nov 2024
Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Code of Practice commences.
Ongoing
WorkSafe ACT runs dedicated psychosocial compliance activity.
Official WorkSafe resource
ACT Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice
The ACT's approved code (NI2023-482) commenced on 27 November 2023. It explains how to manage psychosocial risks under the WHS laws and can be used in proceedings as evidence of what is reasonably practicable.
Turn the guidance into a practical psychosocial risk assessment, record actions in your risk register and review your risk controls with workers.
Recognise the risk
Common psychosocial hazards in Australian Capital Territory workplaces
Hazards rarely appear alone — they stack, and the combined effect drives harm.
Local context matters
What's different in ACT?
A dedicated psychosocial focus
WorkSafe ACT has a team focused on psychosocial risk, so expect inspectors to ask how hazards were identified and controlled.
Harassment sits inside the framework
The harassment code builds on the psychosocial code, so treat harassment as a psychosocial risk to manage, not a stand-alone policy.
Office work counts
Many ACT workplaces are office-based. Job demands, low control, poor support and change management are common risks to check.
People, not paperwork
How Australian Capital Territory employers can manage psychosocial risk
Flourish360 helps people become better humans at work — and gives you the evidence trail to show your risk management in action.
Consult with your people at every stage.
A simple, engaging approach to psychosocial risk management.
Jurisdictions
How many psychosocial hazards are there in Australia?
It depends on which WHS laws cover your workplace: 14 under the national model, 16 in Victoria and 17 for Commonwealth workplaces under Comcare. None of the lists is exhaustive — they're a starting point.
14
Model WHS laws
Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice names 14 common psychosocial hazards — the baseline most states and territories work from.
16
Victoria
WorkSafe Victoria's Psychological health compliance code gives 16 examples of psychosocial hazards under Victoria's own OHS laws.
17
Commonwealth (Comcare)
Commonwealth workplaces under Comcare work with 17, adding fatigue, job insecurity and intrusive surveillance such as digital tracking.
Sources: Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice, WorkSafe Victoria's Psychological Health Compliance Code and Comcare's psychosocial hazards guidance. See the full hazard list
Your questions, answered
FAQs: psychosocial hazards in the Australian Capital Territory
When did ACT psychosocial regulations start?
The psychosocial provisions and the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice took effect on 27 November 2023.
Is there a separate harassment code in the ACT?
Yes. The Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Code of Practice commenced on 11 November 2024.
Who regulates psychosocial hazards in the ACT?
WorkSafe ACT regulates ACT workplaces. Commonwealth agencies in Canberra are covered by Comcare instead.
Source: WorkSafe ACT. General information only, not legal advice.
Better humans. Safer workplaces.