Psychosocial hazards

• High and/or low job demands (e.g. unachievable deadlines, unpredictable shifts, or inadequate recovery time)
• Low job control (e.g. inability to raise concerns about work or WHS issues)
• Poor support (e.g. lack of information, advice or resources to complete tasks or resolve issues)
• Low role clarity (e.g. uncertainly about tasks, schedules or role tenure)
• Poor organisational change management (e.g. lack of consultation or information about workplace changes)
• Low reward and recognition (e.g. insufficient acknowledgement of workers contributions)
• Poor organisational justice (e.g. unfair treatment or decision-making processes)
• Poor workplace relationships (e.g. interpersonal conflict or harmful workplace behaviours)
• Remote or isolated work (e.g. limited access to communication or colleagues)
• Poor environmental conditions (e.g. extreme temperatures or exposure to biological / chemical agents)
• Traumatic events (e.g. witnessing or responding to serious incidents or workplace fatalities)
• Violence and aggression (e.g. physical or verbal abuse)
• Bullying (e.g. repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers)
• Harassment (e.g. sexual harassment or racial harassment)

Exposure to psychosocial hazards can provoke stress responses that may lead to psychological harm and physical health issues. Potential health impacts include:

• psychological harm – anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts and sleep disorders
• physical health issues – cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal injuries, immune deficiencies, and gastrointestinal conditions
• direct physical harm – injuries caused by violence and aggression or poor environmental conditions.

Under Queensland's resources safety and health legislation, obligation holders must protect the safety and health of workers, including managing risks associated with psychosocial hazards. Risks must be controlled to an acceptable level to protect workers’ physical and psychological safety and health.

Management of psychosocial hazards must take a similar approach to other safety and health risks, using a risk management approach. Whilst specific risk management processes may vary across different sectors, as required by legislation, the following steps provide an overview of how to manage psychosocial risks effectively:

• Step 1: Identify how, when, and where psychosocial hazards may occur
• Step 2: Analyse and assess the likelihood and impact of workers’ exposure to identified psychosocial hazards
• Step 3: Develop and implement controls to manage risks effectively and update the site’s Safety and Health Management System (SHMS) or Safety Management System (SMS)
• Step 4: Monitor and review the implementation and effectiveness of controls. Consultation and communication with workers are essential throughout the risk management process.

For more information, refer to the Guide to psychosocial risk management   (PDF, 223KB).

In 2026, RSHQ completed a regulatory campaign assessing how psychosocial hazards are being managed across Queensland’s resources industry.

As a part of this campaign, RSHQ audited 61 coal, mineral mines, quarries and petroleum and gas operations. The results of these audits, along with reports received by RSHQ have informed the findings and recommendations in the Assessing the management of psychosocial hazards in Queensland’s resources industry report (PDF, 247KB). The report also provides information to support operators in strengthening psychosocial risk management and meeting their statutory obligation.

Some of the key findings arising from the campaign includes:

• Psychosocial hazard risk assessments had been completed at 51 per cent of audited operations.
• Worker consultation during the risk assessment process was not always undertaken to identify controls or develop control measures.
• Psychosocial risk management was not always fully integrated into safety and health management systems (SHMS/SMS).
• Incident reporting systems were generally in place, however, some operations lacked anonymous reporting options or had reporting arrangements not fully integrated into their SHMS/SMS.
• Investigation processes often did not include trauma-aware principles, define timeframes or how affected parties would be kept updated and/or how outcomes informed ongoing psychosocial risk management.
• Training for workers and supervisors on identifying, managing and reporting psychosocial hazards was not consistently provided.

Recommendations arising from the report form a part of RSHQ’s regulatory priorities. The report’s findings and recommendations were also presented at the 2026 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference (QMIHSC).