Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
The primary duty of care requires a PCBU to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers — health includes psychological health.
New South Wales · Employer guide
Psychosocial hazards in the workplace NSW
Safer work starts with your people.
What New South Wales law requires — and how to protect your people.
Hazard examples
14
Your regulator
SafeWork NSW
Your duty
Identify · Assess · Act · Monitor
Understand your obligations
What are the rules in New South Wales?
Quick answer
In NSW, psychosocial hazards in the workplace are regulated under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) and the WHS Regulation 2017, which was amended from 1 October 2022 to require businesses to manage psychosocial risks. SafeWork NSW's Code of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work explains how, and the model framework identifies 14 common psychosocial hazards.
The legal framework
The laws that apply in NSW
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW)
Amended from 1 October 2022 with specific duties to identify psychosocial hazards and eliminate or minimise risks.
Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work
SafeWork NSW's approved code, first released in 2021 — NSW was the first jurisdiction to publish one.
Key milestones
How we got here
May 2021
NSW releases Australia's first Code of Practice on psychosocial hazards.
1 Oct 2022
WHS Regulation 2017 amended — explicit psychosocial risk duties.
2025
SafeWork NSW operates as a standalone regulator with a sharper enforcement focus.
Recognise the risk
Common psychosocial hazards in New South Wales workplaces
Hazards rarely appear alone — they stack, and the combined effect drives harm.
- Job demands (high or low)
- Low job control
- Poor support
- Lack of role clarity
- Poor organisational change management
- Inadequate reward and recognition
- Poor organisational justice
- Traumatic events or material
- Remote or isolated work
- Poor physical environment
- Violence and aggression
- Bullying
- Harassment, including sexual and gender-based harassment
- Conflict or poor workplace relationships
Local context matters
What's different in NSW?
NSW moved first
NSW published the country's first psychosocial Code of Practice, so inspectors have had longer than most to build their approach.
Enforcement is active
SafeWork NSW has run targeted campaigns in high-risk sectors and can issue improvement notices where psychosocial risks aren't managed.
Workers compensation pressure
Psychological injury claims in NSW typically involve much longer time off and higher costs than physical injuries — prevention protects people and premiums.
People, not paperwork
How New South Wales 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.
01
Identify
Surface hazards early from everyday signals, not annual surveys.
02
Assess
Understand risk across the recognised hazard categories.
03
Act
Implement controls that address the source of the risk.
04
Monitor
Keep a live, evidence-backed record that proves the work.
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 New South Wales
Is managing psychosocial hazards mandatory in NSW?
Yes. Since 1 October 2022 the WHS Regulation 2017 (NSW) explicitly requires businesses to manage psychosocial risks.
How many psychosocial hazards are recognised in NSW?
NSW follows the national model framework, which identifies 14 common psychosocial hazards.
Who enforces psychosocial safety in NSW?
SafeWork NSW is the regulator responsible for workplace health and safety, including psychosocial hazards.
Source: SafeWork NSW. General information only, not legal advice.
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