Guide · updated November 2026
Psychosocial hazards in health, aged or disability care
Typical pressure points: Client aggression, death and grief, short staffing, working alone in homes. These hazards usually rate higher in this industry. Start your risk register here, then cover the rest of the 14.
| Hazard | What it looks like | Controls that change the work | System controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| High or low job demands | Unrealistic workloads or deadlines, long hours, high emotional or mental effort, or work that's too little or too repetitive | Set realistic workloads and staffing levels based on actual demand; Plan rosters to cover peak periods and absences; Remove unnecessary tasks and reporting | Track hours, overtime and leave balances monthly; Agree priorities when new work is added; Cap consecutive long shifts |
| Traumatic events or material | Exposure to death, injury, violence, distressing content or clients in crisis | Reduce exposure where possible (rotation, limit time with distressing material) | Post-incident procedures: immediate support, debrief, follow-up; Record exposures |
| Remote or isolated work | Working alone, in remote locations, at night or from home with little contact or help | Avoid lone work for high-risk tasks; Design work so help is reachable | Check-in schedules and a working-alone procedure; Duress alarms or GPS devices where needed |
| Violence and aggression | Threats, abuse or assault by customers, clients, patients, the public or co-workers | Safe workplace design: barriers, exits, lighting, CCTV, cash limits; Adequate staffing in high-risk periods | Customer conduct policy, the right to refuse service, and incident reporting; Procedures for responding to aggression |
Remember the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment applies too, as does consultation with workers on every step.
Sources: Safe Work Australia: model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work · WorkSafe Victoria: new psychological health regulations · SafeWork NSW: legislation · WorkSafe Queensland: People at Work (free survey) · Australian Human Rights Commission: positive duty
Get your psychosocial safety system done
Take the free compliance check, then build a risk register for all 14 hazards (rated for your industry), an action plan, policies, a worker survey and a positive duty prevention plan.
Free compliance check Build my systemMore: Psychosocial risk assessment: a template that works · The 14 common psychosocial hazards, with examples and controls · NSW: the psychosocial Code became comply-or-justify on 1 July 2026 · Victoria's Psychological Health Regulations: what employers must do · Queensland's psychosocial hazards Code: employer checklist · The positive duty to prevent sexual harassment: a small business guide · Bullying and harassment policy: what to include · Psychosocial hazards in office / professional services · Psychosocial hazards in retail · Psychosocial hazards in hospitality