Report a psychosocial hazard

What are psychosocial hazards

Psychosocial hazards are a serious occupational health and safety issue.

Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design, management, or social interactions at work that can cause psychological harm, physical harm, or both.

Common psychosocial hazards include bullying, aggression or violence, sexual harassment and high or low job demands.

These are some examples. Every workplace is unique, so psychosocial hazards can look different, depending on the work being done, the workplace environment, and the people involved.

If you’re concerned about a psychosocial hazard at work, there are several ways to report this.

WorkSafe’s role

When a hazard is reported to WorkSafe, we assess the information to decide whether further steps will be taken.

What WorkSafe can do

WorkSafe can help address psychological health and safety concerns. We can:

• provide information about occupational health and safety obligations
• investigate incidents and complaints, where required.

What WorkSafe can’t do

WorkSafe cannot:

• act on behalf of an employee, employer or other party
• direct disciplinary action or termination of employment
• investigate matters outside of Victoria
• provide legal advice or legal representation
• mediate disputes or take sides
• provide counselling or psychological support.

Before you contact WorkSafe

Before contacting WorkSafe, we recommend you report the hazard to someone at your workplace if you feel safe to do so. In many cases, this approach may address and resolve the issue. If your workplace doesn’t know about the issue, it may limit how WorkSafe can help.

Your workplace should have reporting options for psychosocial hazards, such as:

• a hazard or incident reporting system
• policies or procedures that cover how to prevent and respond to hazards and risks.

You can raise your concerns by having a conversation with a:

• manager, supervisor or HR department
• health and safety representative (HSR)
• trusted person in the organisation.

How to report a psychosocial hazard to WorkSafe

If an issue can’t be resolved at a workplace level, you can contact WorkSafe’s Psychosocial Advisory Team.

The experienced team can:

• help you understand your workplace psychological health and safety rights and responsibilities
• provide advice and guidance about psychosocial hazards
• help you lodge a WorkCover claim for a mental injury
• refer matters to a WorkSafe inspector to make further enquiries.

Contact the Psychosocial Advisory Team

What happens next

WorkSafe will assess the information you provide and decide if further action is needed, which may involve sending an inspector to the workplace.

Please note, contacting WorkSafe does not automatically result in an investigation or trigger a WorkCover claim.

Reporting anonymously or on behalf of someone else

You can report a hazard anonymously or on behalf of another person. 

If you are reporting on behalf of someone else, you should get written consent from the person affected. 

When a report is made anonymously or without the affected persons consent, this may limit WorkSafe’s ability to gather information, investigate the issue and keep you updated on progress. 

Other agencies that may be able to help you

WorkSafe’s role is to help keep Victoria’s workplaces healthy and safe. Depending on your situation, another agency may be better placed to help.

Where to find immediate help

If you feel unsafe right now or need immediate support, the following services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

• Victoria Police on 000
• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Victorian Suicide Line on 1300 651 251
• 1800RESPECT (national sexual assault hotline) on 1800 737 732
• Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 806 292

You may also consider speaking with your healthcare provider.