Pursuant to occupational health and safety obligations, workplace environmental safety factors are not just confined to physical safety risks. Employers have a duty of care and clear responsibilities for their staff which includes managing risk factors including psychosocialfactors present in a workplace.

Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design or management of work that increase the risk of work-related stress and can lead to psychological or physical harm.

Employees are likely to be exposed to a combination of psychosocial hazards, depending on their role and environment. Some hazards might always be present at work, while others only occasionally.

Both NSW and Qld have now introduced Code of Practice requirements for managing psychosocial hazards at work, and Victoria is heading down that path.