Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01380:reg:5:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01380
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 5 (pt 1/2)
Character Range: 1292–5924

5  Code of Practice Approval

        (1) I approve the Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024. I am satisfied that the code of practice was developed by a process described in section 274(2) of the WHS Act.

Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work
Code of Practice 2024

Contents

Foreword.............................................................5
1 Introduction........................................................6
1.1 Psychosocial hazards at work.....................................6
1.2 Work health and safety duties.....................................7
1.3 Consultation.................................................12
2 Overview of the process to manage psychosocial risks..................17
3 Identify psychosocial hazards........................................19
3.1 Common psychosocial hazards..................................19
3.2 How to identify psychosocial hazards..............................23
4 Assess the risks...................................................27
4.1 When should a risk assessment be conducted?.....................27
4.2 How to assess psychosocial risks................................27
5 Control the risks...................................................28
5.1 Matters to consider when controlling risks..........................29
5.2 Eliminating risks..............................................30
5.3 Minimising risks...............................................31
5.4 Combining risk controls.........................................34
5.5 Implementing control measures..................................35
6 Review control measures............................................37
7 Recording the risk management process and outcomes..................38
8 Responding to reports, complaints, or incidents ........................39
9 Conducting WHS investigations......................................43
Appendix A – Job characteristics, design and management.................45
Job demands.......................................................45
Fatigue............................................................48
Low job control.....................................................49
Job insecurity.......................................................51
Poor support.......................................................52
Lack of role clarity...................................................54
Poor organisational change management................................56
Inadequate recognition and reward.....................................57
Poor organisational justice............................................58
Traumatic events or material...........................................59
Remote or isolated work..............................................61
Intrusive surveillance.................................................62
Poor physical environment............................................63
Appendix B – Harmful behaviours.......................................65
Identifying harmful behaviours.........................................65
Controlling risks from harmful behaviours.................................67
Appendix C - Risk register..............................................71
Appendix D: Case studies..............................................72

Foreword

This Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) (the WHS Act).
An approved code of practice provides practical guidance on how to achieve the standards of work health and safety required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety
 Regulations 2011 (Cth) (the WHS Regulations), and effective ways to identify and manage risks.

A code of practice can assist anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described in the code of practice. Following an approved code of practice will assist the duty holder to achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act and WHS Regulations, in relation to the subject matter of the code of practice. Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and may not cover all relevant hazards or risks. The health and safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of practice exist.

Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulations. Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk, risk assessment or risk control and may rely on the code