Understanding Psychosocial Risk Factors: What Safety Managers Need to Know

A field technician misses yet another family event after a week of 12-hour shifts. A junior employee dreads coming to work, constantly sidelined and undermined by a team leader. These aren’t just personality clashes or tough jobs—they’re psychosocial hazards, and under new WHS laws, they’re now a legal responsibility.

For years, psychological risks were seen as soft issues—important, but not always clearly defined or enforceable. That’s changed. Updates to WHS regulations now make it clear: managing psychosocial risk is just as critical as managing physical hazards.

For safety managers, this means shifting from awareness to action. It's no longer enough to know these risks exist—organisations must take steps to prevent harm, support worker wellbeing, and demonstrate compliance.

In this guide, we’ll explain what psychosocial risk factors are, highlight the most common hazards, and walk you through practical ways to manage them effectively in line with today’s legal standards.

What are psychosocial risk factors?

Psychosocial risk factors are elements of work that can cause psychological or physical harm. According to Safe Work Australia, these risks arise from how work is designed, managed, and experienced. When not managed well, they can lead to stress, anxiety, burnout, musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, and other health issues.

These factors are grouped into four main categories:

1. Work design – Includes high or low job demands, lack of role clarity, low job control, or poor organisational justice.
2. Work environment – Covers poor physical conditions, remote or isolated work, or high-risk sites with limited support.
3. Plant and equipment – Hazards linked to how machinery or tools impact task demands or contribute to stressors.
4. Workplace behaviours and interactions – Encompasses bullying, harassment, aggression, and other harmful conduct.

These risks don’t exist in isolation. They often combine or overlap, increasing the overall impact on health, safety, and team performance.

The 17 common psychosocial hazards (with real-world examples)

Psychosocial hazards vary across industries, but the underlying issues often fall into similar patterns.

Work design and job structure

These risks relate to how jobs are structured and what demands are placed on workers.

1. Job demands – Excessive workload, unrealistic deadlines, emotional intensity, or monotonous tasks.
2. Job insecurity – Uncertainty about job stability or contract renewals.
3. Low job control – Workers have little say in how or when they complete their tasks.
4. Fatigue – Long hours, night shifts, or disrupted sleep cycles that affect performance.
5. Poor support – Lack of practical or emotional support from supervisors or team members.
6. Lack of role clarity – Confusion over responsibilities or shifting expectations.
7. Inadequate reward and recognition – Minimal feedback, low appreciation, or missed opportunities for growth.

Example: A technician is expected to meet a tight deadline with outdated tools, unclear priorities, and no supervisor available for guidance.

Organisational systems and management

These hazards stem from how the business is managed and how it handles change, fairness, and communication.

8. Poor organisational change management – Changes are made with little communication or planning
9. Poor organisational justice – Perceived unfairness in decisions, policies, or treatment
10. Intrusive surveillance – Workers feel constantly monitored in ways that reduce trust or autonomy

Example: During a restructure, shift patterns and job roles change without proper consultation, creating stress and confusion.

Work environment and conditions

Environmental risks affect how safe, comfortable, and connected workers feel on the job.

11. Traumatic events or material – Exposure to critical incidents, disturbing content, or emotionally distressing situations.
12. Remote or isolated work – Working alone or in areas with limited access to help.
13. Poor physical environment – Noisy, poorly lit, unsafe or uncomfortable conditions.

Example: A field worker travels long distances with minimal breaks, poor weather conditions, and limited contact with support staff.

Workplace behaviour and social dynamics

These risks are linked to how people interact and behave at work.

14. Violence and aggression – Threats, intimidation, verbal abuse or physical altercations from co-workers, clients or the public.
15. Bullying – Repeated, unreasonable behaviour that undermines, humiliates or intimidates.
16. Harassment including sexual harassment – Unwelcome conduct based on sex, gender, race, age or other protected attributes.
17. Conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions – Regular tension, exclusion, or unprofessional behaviour between workers or teams.

Example: A warehouse team member is routinely ignored by co-workers after raising a safety concern and begins avoiding group tasks.

Why these hazards matter (the hidden costs of ignoring them)

Psychosocial hazards carry real consequences for both people and operations. Here’s why they need to be on your radar.

They’re a legal requirement

WHS laws now explicitly cover psychosocial risks. Safety managers are expected to manage them just like physical hazards.

They’re linked to serious harm

Unchecked, these risks can lead to stress-related conditions like anxiety, burnout, PTSD, and physical injuries like fatigue-related incidents.

They cost more

Psychological injury claims often result in longer time off work and higher workers’ compensation costs compared to physical injuries.

They impact retention

Poor support, unclear roles, or bullying can drive staff turnover and disengagement.

They disrupt operations

Absenteeism, low morale, and unresolved conflict slow down teams and affect safety-critical tasks.

They’re preventable

Most psychosocial hazards can be identified and managed early with the right processes and communication in place.

They’re a leadership opportunity

Addressing these risks shows genuine care for your people and builds stronger, more resilient teams.

How to manage psychosocial risks

Managing psychosocial risks should follow a structured, WHS-compliant process.

1. Identify – Talk to workers, review data, observe how work is being done
2. Assess – Consider how often, how long, and how severely workers are exposed
3. Control – Eliminate the risk if possible, or minimise it with effective changes to work design, support, and systems
4. Review – Check if your controls are working, consult again, and make improvements

For a deeper breakdown of each step — including practical tools and examples — check out our full article How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks.

Remember

Under WHS laws, you must consult with workers throughout this process. This includes anyone directly affected by psychosocial risks, and if you have Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs), they must be involved too.

Good consultation makes your process stronger and more defensible, and it often leads to better risk controls that actually work in the real world.

A simpler way to manage what matters most

Managing psychosocial risks is no longer optional. It’s a clear WHS responsibility, backed by regulation, and increasingly enforced across industries. But beyond compliance, taking these risks seriously is also about building a safer, more resilient workplace.

With the right systems in place, managing psychosocial hazards doesn’t have to be complicated. The myosh psychosocial hazard software, powered by Skodel, gives safety managers the tools they need to take action with confidence. It simplifies everything from consultation and assessment to compliance tracking, all within one platform. You can identify risks early, reduce admin time, and ensure your processes are built to stand up to scrutiny.

If you’re ready to take control of your psychosocial risk management strategy, start with a free trial of myosh.