Step 1: build a living, audit-ready Psychosocial risk assessment tool
Before you first hone in on the unique psychosocial hazards in your workplace, it’s time to produce a psychosocial risk assessment tool that suits your organisation’s needs. Then you have a living, audit-ready document you can rely on to act as a go-to playbook. Ultimately, this document is used to capture hazards, show what you’re doing about them, while keeping you on track with WHS compliance. Here’s 2 ways to get started ✅
1. Follow a suggested template ✅
No need to reinvent the wheel here. For Queensland businesses, download: Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s Psychosocial Risk Assessment Tool. If your based in New South Wales you can download the SafeWork NSW Risk Register. Both templates are comprehensive and meet Safework Australia’s Code of Practice. Every State in Australia has these resources readily available (see below), so simply access these.
2. Customise your own ✅
If you find these templates are not suited to your organisation’s needs then set up a spreadsheet, document, or digital tool that does. Make sure it’s easy to update and share, and complies with the Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work.
Example: The column headings, fields, and tools contained in the template below are commonly used (or strongly implied by relevant authorities) in a compliant Psychosocial Risk Register. We’ve labelled each Field/Column (Identify/Assess/Control/Review) to help you understand the relevance of each one within the psychosocial risk management process.
| Field/Column | Purpose/What It Captures |
|---|---|
(Identify) Hazard/Psychosocial Hazard Description | What the hazard is (e.g. job demand, bullying, lack of role clarity). |
(Identify) Affected Roles/ Persons/Teams | Who is exposed or potentially harmed (e.g. certain departments, job roles, remote workers). |
(Identify) Evidence Source/How Identified | How the hazard was discovered – survey, incident record, observation, interview, data metrics. |
(Assess) Likelihood/Probability of Occurrence | How likely it is to happen if not controlled. Some registers use qualitative ratings (e.g. Rare / Possible / Likely) or numeric scales. |
(Assess) Severity/Consequence of Harm | What the impact would be if the hazard materialises (psychological injury, absenteeism, legal risk etc.). |
(Assess) Risk Rating/Risk Level | Combined rating (e.g. likelihood × severity) to help prioritise. |
(Control) Existing Controls/Mitigations | What is already in place to reduce the risk. |
(Control) Additional Controls/Actions Required | What still needs to be done to further reduce the risk. |
(Control) Responsibility/Owner | Who is accountable for managing or implementing the control actions. |
(Identify/Assess) Date Identified/Date Logged | When the hazard was documented/found. |
(Review) Review Date/Next Review | When the hazard/control will be reviewed for effectiveness. |
| Status/Notes/Comments | Additional information: updates, new related hazards, follow-ups, changes. |
Why a Good psychosocial risk management tool matters
✅ They align with WHS law requirements and the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice
✅ They ensure transparency and accountability
✅ They allow prioritisation: you can see which hazards are most critical
✅ They support continuous improvement
Got your template? now get started with Identifying the Hazards
Start by sitting back and listening to Emily Johnson (GMF’s Principal Workplace Psychologist/Co-Founder) as she shares her practical guide to ‘Identifying Psychosocial Hazards’. Then you’ll be ready to start.
Step 2: Identify and Document the hazards, unique to your workplace
Right… let’s go…
First, let’s be real – your workplace is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all list of psychosocial hazards. Therefore, the next step in the psychosocial risk management process is for your workforce to collectively figure out (Identify) what specific Psychosocial Hazards are, or could potentially be, affecting them.
We recommend you use the four strategies below to identify the hazards, as they tend to work really well:
Ask – surveys, check-ins, or short anonymous polls can reveal stress points and frustrations that your people might not voice openly.
Chat – focus groups or one-on-one interviews with staff and managers can help you dig a little deeper into the day-to-day pressures that aren’t obvious on paper.
Observe – walk around, watch workflows, notice bottlenecks, and see where there is unhealthy levels of stress.
Examine – ‘look at the data’: absenteeism, turnover, complaints, or past incident reports (EAP) often point to patterns you might not otherwise see.
Once you’ve gathered all these insights, you should have a clear picture of the psychosocial hazards unique to your workplace. The next step is turning this information into something tangible.
You guessed it!! Fill in the relevant columns/fields that you’ve decided to allocate to ‘Identifying the Hazards’ within your Psychosocial Risk Assessment Tool (Template/Register: See Step 1). Complete this and you’re compliant with the first stage laid out in the Code of Conduct.
The First Step to Safer Workplaces
This article represents the first in a series of four articles that Get Mentally Fit has put together as a practical guide to help people and organisations create a compliant, people-first psychosocial risk management plan. This is aimed at supporting everyone to protect employees, strengthen culture, and lay a broad foundation for safer, healthier workplaces.
💡 Pro tip: Think of your risk register as a tool for action, not just paperwork. Use it to guide decisions, track improvements, and strengthen your culture.
Helpful Resources: State/Territory/jurisdictional
Since WHS regulation is administered by states/territories, you will find useful jurisdiction-specific guides and codes. Here’s where you can find your relevant resource:
N.B. The new Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) regulations made by the Victorian Government, will commence on 1 December 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Resource / Guide | Focus / What It Provides |
|---|---|---|
| South Australia | Four steps to managing psychosocial hazards and risks (SafeWork SA) | A step-by-step guide aligned with model Code of Practice SafeWork SA |
| Queensland | Psychosocial Risk Assessment Tool (WorkSafe Qld) | A downloadable tool with instructions aligned to the Code of Practice WorkSafe Queensland |
| New South Wales | Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks | Guide for duty holders, work design, systems thinking, etc. SafeWork NSW |
| New South Wales | Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (NSW) | The state’s adopted code for managing psychosocial hazards SafeWork NSW |
| Western Australia | Psychosocial Hazards Code of Practice (WorkSafe WA) | Guidance for prevention and management of psychosocial hazards in WA workplaces WorkSafe+1 |
What’S next?
Identifying and documenting psychosocial hazards, covered in this article, is only the beginning. The next – and arguably most critical🔍- step is assessing the actual level of risk those hazards pose to your people and organisation. Understanding this helps you prioritise action, allocate resources effectively, and demonstrate due diligence under WHS laws.
In our second in this series of article, due out next Wednesday 22nd October, we’ll demystify this assessment stage, showing you how to confidently evaluate psychosocial risks and translate insight into meaningful protection for your workforce.
⚠️From experience, when it comes to psychological health and safety, not knowing isn’t an excuse – it’s a risk in itself.
Ready to start Building a Psychosocially Safer Workplace?
Whether you’re just starting to address psychosocial hazards or looking to strengthen your existing systems, we can help. Our team has the proven expertise, qualifications, and tools to support your organisation:
Identify and assess psychosocial risks that impact workforce wellbeing and business performance
Implement practical controls to reduce your unique risks
Train leaders and employees to recognise and better respond to psychosocial hazards
Build an integrated, values-aligned wellbeing strategy that strengthens culture and drives engagement
📞 Get in touch to discuss how your organisation can confidently meet its WHS obligations while unlocking the full potential of your people.
👉 Contact us today and take the first step toward a safer, healthier, and high-performing workplace.
