COO Committee Project, Psychosocial Hazards Project Documents (lex 89429): Playbook To Identify And Manage Psychosocial Hazards Recommendations And Forward Work Plan Project Closure Report (july…

FOI/LEX 89429 - Page 1 of 67

# COO Committee Project

## Psychosocial Hazards Project

Playbook to identify and manage psychosocial hazards

July 2025

Psychosocial Hazards Project Team

Psychosocial Hazards Project
FOI/LEX 89429 - Page 2 of 67
Playbook

# Table of Contents

Introduction ... 3
Purpose of the playbook ... 3
Psychosocial factors at work ... 3
The difference between psychosocial and psychological ... 6

Framework for managing psychosocial risks ... 8
Risk management process ... 8
Step 1: Identify hazards ... 9
Step 2: Assess Risks ... 10
Step 3: Control Risks ... 12
Step 4: Review Controls ... 13
What does a good psychosocial risk management approach include? ... 14

Roles and responsibilities ... 15
Executive Leadership ... 15
Managers & Supervisors ... 15
Workers ... 16
Consultation and Co-Design ... 16

Appendix A: Psychosocial Hazards ... 17
Appendix B: Combined psychosocial hazard and impact examples ... 23
Appendix C: Hazard specific examples of maturity across continuum ... 25
Appendix D: Common tools ... 28
Appendix E: Reasonably practicable ... 30
Appendix F: Psychosocial Safety Management Readiness Tool – Maturity Matrix ... 31
Appendix G: Examples of capability uplift actions aligned to Readiness Matrix ... 32
Appendix H: Training and other resources ... 34
Appendix I: Case Studies ... 36
Appendix J: Further information ... 40
Appendix K: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Considerations ... 43

Page 2 of 45
Official

Psychosocial Hazards Project
FOI/LEX 89429 - Page 3 of 67
Playbook

# Introduction

## Purpose of the playbook

This playbook has been designed to support Australia Public Service (APS) executive leaders to identify, manage, and mitigate- if elimination is not possible- psychosocial hazards in the workplace. It complements the *Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024* (the Psychosocial Code). Which reflects the legal baseline and needs to meet obligations under the *Work Health and Safety Act 2011* (Cth) (the WHS Act) and the *Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011* (Cth) (the Regulations).

> However, compliance is just a starting point.

This playbook is a practical resource designed to support APS leaders in understanding psychosocial hazards, including both risk and protective factors, and taking meaningful action to manage them. It does not attempt to cover every hazard or prescribe every solution. Instead, it complements the Psychosocial Code by translating key obligations into practical, system-level approaches relevant to the APS.

Grounded in real-world agency contexts, it encourages proactive, consultative leadership- that places worker engagement as a priority for effective psychosocial risk management. With a focus on sustainable improvement, it supports leaders to strengthen the conditions that enable safe, fair and high-performing workplaces and cultures, now and into the future.

Drawing on current practice both nationally and internationally, the playbook brings together legal requirements and preventative design to help leaders build capability, foster trust, and drive cultural and operational change across their organisations.

## Psychosocial factors at work

Psychosocial factors are the conditions, relationships, and organisational practices that shape how people experience their work. These factors arise from:

- how jobs are designed;
- how team’s function;
- how leaders behave, and
- how systems operate.

Crucially, psychosocial factors are not inherently harmful—they can be either protective or hazardous depending on how they are experienced and managed.

Psychosocial factors such as supervisor support, recognition, autonomy, and role clarity can protect and support mental health, acting as buffers against harm and enhance wellbeing. When missing or poorly managed, the same factors become negative towards psychological health and can contribute to stress, fatigue, conflict, or disengagement, and are known as psychosocial hazards.

Understanding these factors is essential for effective prevention. Research and lived experience consistently show that:

- Risks can be cumulative and interact in complex ways, especially when multiple hazards (e.g. high demands and poor support) combine.
- Positive psychosocial factors can reduce the likelihood or severity of harm and promote healthier, more productive teams.
- Prevention is often more effective than control, particularly when interventions target root causes such as unclear roles or organisational culture issues rather than individual symptoms.

Common psychosocial factors include:

- Job demands and control – e.g. workload, time pressure, autonomy.
- Role clarity and change – e.g. unclear responsibilities, frequent restructures.

Page 3 of 45
Official

Workplace relationships and leadership support -- e.g. conflict, feedback, inclusion.Exposure to trauma or emotionally demanding work -- e.g. critical incidents, distressing content, customer aggression.Recognition, inclusion, and organisational fairness -- e.g. acknowledgement, equity in treatment and decision-making.

Many risks arise not just from one factor, but from combinations—such as poor role clarity in a team under pressure, or exposure to distressing content without recovery time or supervisory support. These combinations may lead to escalating impacts that are harder to control once entrenched.

To manage psychosocial hazards well, leaders should understand not just the risks—but also the protective conditions that help people thrive.

### What are psychosocial hazards?

As defined by the Regulations, psychosocial hazards are hazards that arise from or relate to:

the design or management of work;the working environment;plant at a workplace, orworkplace interactions or behaviours; and may cause psychological and physical harm (whether or not it may also cause physical harm).

Therefore, psychosocial hazards are aspects of work which have the potential to cause psychological and physical harm by causing people to feel stress. Whereby, stress is the body's reaction when a worker perceives the demands of their work exceed their ability or resources to cope.

This perception, and the impact of psychosocial hazards, can vary significantly between individuals. What may be tolerable for one worker could be harmful for another. This variability underscores the need for a tailored, consultative, and preventative approach to managing psychosocial risks.

Understanding psychosocial hazards also involves recognising how they are shaped by broader workplace systems, culture and leadership. These hazards influence- and are influenced by- organisational climate, and they directly impact workers psychological health and safety.

In the APS context, common psychosocial hazards include high work demands, lack of role clarity, remote or isolated work, workplace violence and exposure to traumatic content. However, some hazards may be more unique to government work. These can include:

Machinery of Government (MoG) changes that disrupt roles, responsibilities and structures.Surge workloads in response to budget cycles or urgent initiatives.Public or political scrutiny, especially in contentious or highly visible portfolios.Moral injury, when staff are required to carry out decisions that conflict with their personal or professional values.

Some hazards may cause serious harm on their own (e.g. sexual harassment), but combinations of hazards- especially when sustained or systemic- are even more likely to lead to serious harm. This can be described as intersecting hazards when two or more psychosocial hazards are present in the same role, task, or system or compounding hazards that occur when the presence of one hazard increases the likelihood or severity of another. This combined presence or compounding nature may elevate the overall risk level even if each individual hazard appears low.

Appendix A provides an outline of all psychosocial hazards identified in the Psychosocial Code, their definitions, examples and some resources targeting each hazard. Appendix B offers some examples of combined hazards, their co-occurrence context and potential amplification patterns.

Psychosocial Hazards Project
FOI/LEX 89429 - Page 5 of 67
Playbook

# Potential impacts of psychosocial hazards

Psychosocial hazards affect far more than individual wellbeing — they shape how teams’ function, how leaders lead, and how organisations perform. When left unmanaged, these risks can result in wide-ranging impacts across:

- psychological and physical health;
- interpersonal dynamics;
- leadership effectiveness;
- organisational culture and integrity, and
- the successful delivery of work.

The impacts often emerge gradually and may go unnoticed until they escalate. Even before injury occurs, psychosocial hazards can reduce motivation, impair judgement, and erode the quality of workplace relationships and decision-making.

Psychosocial risks are not only legal and operational concerns, but they are also levers for leadership, performance and culture. When managed well, they create safer, healthier and more effective workplaces.

Managing psychosocial risks effectively can:

- Strengthen psychological safety and trust.
- Enable greater staff engagement, performance and retention.
- Foster more inclusive, collaborative and high-performing teams.
- Improve decision-making and innovation through clarity and connection.
- Increase leadership confidence and cultural capability.
- Enhance the credibility, resilience and integrity of public service delivery.

These outcomes are cumulative. As preventative and systemic approaches are embedded, the benefits compound- building stronger systems, healthier cultures and greater confidence at all levels. Below are some summarised examples of how psychosocial risks can manifest at different levels:

## Impacts on workers

|  Impacts | Examples  |
| --- | --- |
|  Psychological harm | Burnout, anxiety,...