Psychosocial risk management
Keep people connected, wherever work takes them.
Delivery pressure, isolated driving, fatigue and difficult customer interactions can expose transport and logistics workers to psychosocial hazards. Safer schedules matter as much as stronger support.
The risk is real
12%
Mental health conditions accounted for 12% of all serious workers’ compensation claims in Australia in 2023–24 preliminary data, according to Safe Work Australia’s 2025 release.
National, all-industry context—not a transport prevalence or claims estimate.
Read the sourceRecognise. Consult. Act.
Work design, workplace interactions and working conditions can cause psychological or physical harm. Assess how often exposure occurs, how long it lasts and how severe it is.
Risk exposure
Unrealistic arrival times, loading delays and long hours can create excessive demands.
Practical controls
Build schedules around safe work and rest, consult drivers on practical routes and escalate commercial demands that undermine safety.
Risk exposure
Drivers working alone may struggle to access help or raise concerns during a shift.
Practical controls
Agree safe check-ins that do not distract drivers, provide responsive dispatch support and clear emergency arrangements.
Risk exposure
Crashes, near misses and aggressive customers can have lasting psychological effects.
Practical controls
Prevent aggression at loading and delivery points, provide timely voluntary support after incidents and plan safe return-to-work arrangements.
An illustrative workplace situation
a driver faces repeated delays but is still expected to meet the original schedule. Change the scheduling and escalation process rather than asking the driver to absorb the pressure.
Improve the conditions around people—not just their ability to cope.
The cost of leaving risks unchecked
>4×
Mental health claims had more than four times the median time lost compared with physical injury and illness claims.
Source and scope>3×
Median compensation for mental health claims was more than three times that for physical injury and illness claims.
Source and scopeReal duties.
WHS regulators can issue improvement or prohibition notices and prosecute breaches. Penalties and powers vary by jurisdiction.
Source and scopeClaim comparisons use Australian serious workers’ compensation claims in 2020–21, reported by Safe Work Australia in February 2024. National figures—not transport estimates or predictions of individual harm. Enforcement depends on the applicable law and circumstances.
Australian employers must manage risks to psychological as well as physical health under applicable WHS or OHS laws.
Heavy vehicle Chain of Responsibility obligations may also apply. Do not use safety reporting as individual worker surveillance.
A course or an employee assistance program does not, by itself, discharge this duty. Check your regulator and seek advice for your circumstances.
A practical starting point
Consult workers and HSRs across roles and shifts. Combine their experiences with incident, workload and absence information.
Assess severity, duration and frequency. Record interacting hazards and who may be affected.
Start with work design, staffing, environment and behaviour. Assign an owner and review date.
Ask workers whether exposure has reduced. Update the risk register when conditions change.
Flourish360 for transport
Connect personal growth and wellbeing with psychosocial risk insight. Help people build confidence while making hazards, controls and follow-through easier for leaders to see.
We partner with wellbeing programs for a holistic approach. Flourish360 supports your process—it does not replace consultation, effective controls or professional advice.
See what fits your workplacePrepared by Flourish360 using Australian regulatory and sector guidance. Examples are illustrative, not customer case studies. Statistics describe the stated population and period; they do not predict individual risk. This is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Workplace photographs are AI-generated illustrations.
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