What are psychosocial hazards in the workplace?

Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work design, organisation, and management that have the potential to cause psychological or physical harm. Under Safe Work Australia's Model Code of Practice, there are 14 recognised psychosocial hazards including job demands, low job control, poor support, and workplace violence.

How long does this psychosocial risk assessment take?

The check-in takes about five minutes. It's designed to be a quick, regular pulse-check — not a lengthy process. Just five minutes a week thinking about psychosocial safety can make a real difference.

Is this tool a clinical diagnosis or legal audit?

No. This is a workplace hazard identification tool — not a clinical diagnostic tool, not a medical assessment, and not a legal audit. It helps identify potential risk factors but does not replace a formal psychosocial risk assessment conducted by a qualified professional.

How are the scores calculated?

Each question is scored from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). Positively-framed questions (e.g. 'How often do workers have a say?') are reverse-scored so higher scores consistently indicate higher risk. Each hazard category gets its own score, and the total across all 42 questions gives your overall organisational risk profile.

What should I do if my results show high risk areas?

If results show high or very high risk areas, we recommend: contacting your EAP provider for confidential organisational consulting, reviewing controls with your health and safety representatives, considering a formal psychosocial risk assessment with a qualified professional, and if you identify immediate risk of harm, call 000.

Psychosocial Risk Assessment Checklist | Free WHS Tool

Your safety comes first

This tool helps spot workplace hazards early. But if someone in your workplace needs help right now, please stop and reach out.

If anyone is in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call 000.

Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
13YARN 13 92 76
National Sexual Assault 1800 737 732
MensLine 1300 78 99 78
Suicide Call Back 1300 659 467

Your organisation's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is also there for you.

✅ What This IS

A workplace hazard identification tool
Aligned with Safe Work Australia's Model Code of Practice (2022)
An educational resource to spot risk factors early
A way to start the conversation
Coaching, not monitoring

❌ What This IS NOT

Not a clinical diagnostic tool
Not a medical assessment
Not a psychological evaluation
Not a legal audit
Not a substitute for formal assessment
Not a substitute for your WHS legal obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act or equivalent state/territory legislation

Five minutes a week

For each question, choose the response that best describes how often these workplace conditions occur. Answer based on what you observe in the workplace — not how you feel personally today.

Response	Score	What it means
Never	1	This situation doesn't occur
Rarely	2	Occurs occasionally (less than monthly)
Sometimes	3	Occurs periodically (monthly to weekly)
Often	4	Occurs regularly (several times per week)
Always	5	A constant feature of the workplace

This should take about five minutes. Just five minutes a week thinking about psychosocial safety can make a real difference.

Your Organisational Risk Profile

—

out of 210 (42 questions)

Hazard Breakdown

A few things to keep in mind about scores

These thresholds are a guide, not a diagnosis. They're based on established research frameworks but adapted for a self-assessment tool.
Context matters. A "High" score in Violence & Aggression for a hospital emergency department is expected — the important question is whether controls are adequate.
One perspective isn't the whole picture. We encourage getting input from multiple people for a more balanced view.
Trends tell more than snapshots. Doing this regularly shows you whether things are improving.
Don't use scores to compare teams or individuals. This tool assesses workplace conditions — not who's performing well or poorly.

Turn Insights Into Action

You've just checked in on your workplace's psychosocial safety. Now let's make it count.

At Tortoise & Hare Wellness, we help Australian organisations turn assessment results into real, measurable improvements.

Book a discovery call →

📥 Download your results

Email yourself a summary of your assessment results — including all hazard scores and recommendations. We don't store your email — this sends results directly to your inbox.

✓ Thanks! Your results can be printed from this page.

Support Services & Referral Pathways

📞 In a Crisis — Reach Out Now

Emergency Services

000

For immediate danger or risk of harm

Lifeline Australia

13 11 14

24/7 crisis counselling and suicide prevention

Beyond Blue

1300 22 4636

24/7 mental health support

13YARN

13 92 76

24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples

National Sexual Assault Helpline

1800 737 732

24/7 support

MensLine Australia

1300 78 99 78

24/7 telephone and online support for men

Suicide Call Back Service

1300 659 467

24/7 professional telephone counselling

🏢 Workplace & Professional Support

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Check your organisation's EAP provider

Short-term confidential counselling

Safe Work Australia

safeworkaustralia.gov.au

National policy body for WHS; psychosocial hazard resources

Your State WHS Regulator

Varies by state/territory

Compliance and enforcement of WHS laws

Comcare

1300 366 979

Commonwealth WHS regulator

Fair Work Commission

1300 799 675

Workplace disputes, bullying, harassment

Australian Human Rights Commission

1300 656 419

Anti-discrimination and sexual harassment law

Respect@Work

respectatwork.gov.au

National resources on sexual harassment prevention

🧠 Mental Health & Wellbeing Support

Head to Health

headtohealth.gov.au

National mental health portal

SANE Australia

1800 187 263

Support for complex mental health needs

Open Arms — Veterans & Families

1800 011 046

Counselling for veterans and families

Black Dog Institute

blackdoginstitute.org.au

Workplace mental health research and resources

If Your Results Show Areas of Concern

Contact your EAP provider for confidential organisational consulting
Contact Safe Work Australia or your state/territory WHS regulator for guidance on legal duties
Speak with a health and safety representative (HSR) about worker concerns
If you identify an immediate risk of harm to any worker, call 000

Ready to go deeper?

At Tortoise & Hare Wellness, we help Australian organisations turn assessment results into real, measurable improvements — without the corporate fluff.

Here's how we can help:

✓ A personalised walk-through of your results
✓ Practical recommendations tailored to your organisation
✓ Our AI coaching support — coaching, not monitoring
✓ Ongoing measurement to track progress

"The average psychological injury claim costs $288,542 in NSW. A five-minute check-in costs a fraction of that — and it's a fraction of the human cost too."

Book a discovery call →

No sales pitch. Just a genuine conversation about psychosocial safety.

¹ NSW icare workers compensation claims data, 2024–25 financial year. Average claim cost includes investigation, treatment, and settlement costs.

² Beyond Blue / AWRS research on workplace mental health disclosure. 42% of workers with poor mental health told nobody at work.

³ Safe Work Australia — median time off work is approximately 5× longer for psychological injury claims compared to physical injury claims.