Psychosocial Hazards | Policies and Compliance

Who these questions are for: These are questions for HR practitioners, business owners, and managers to review internal records, observe the workplace, and assess your systems. They are not designed to be sent to employees. Use the Team Survey Questions tab for questions to send to your people. These questions are drawn from the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Psychosocial Risk Assessment Tool and align with the Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice 2022.

Workplace Data Review

Use when reviewing internal records

Leave and Attendance Patterns

Q1Are there any indications when looking at employee sick leave, with or without certificates, which show relevant trends (e.g. headaches, recurrent colds or flu and musculoskeletal disorders)?

Q2Are there departments, roles, or positions with noticeably higher sick leave compared to others?

Q3Is annual or long service leave being used to cover periods of stress or burnout rather than genuine rest?

Q4Are workers not taking annual leave because of work pressure or fear of falling behind?

Q5Are there any active or historical workers compensation claims related to psychological injury such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress?

Complaints, Incidents and Grievances

Q6Are there recurring themes or patterns in formal complaints or workplace grievances?

Q7Do Employee Assistance Program usage reports show trends in the types of issues people are seeking support for?

Q8Do incident reports or complaints point to particular psychosocial hazard patterns?

Q9Are there industrial relations records or disputes that connect to psychosocial conditions in the workplace?

Consultation and Surveys

Q10When psychosocial hazards are raised in team meetings or consultations, are they recorded in the minutes?

Q11Are those records followed up and actioned as part of normal risk management?

Q12Do meeting minutes show recurring psychosocial hazard themes or unresolved issues such as workload or role changes?

Q13Have worker surveys or assessments flagged any trends related to psychosocial hazards in the workplace?

Staffing, Turnover and Policies

Q14Are there any previous safety audits or reviews with outstanding actions related to psychosocial hazards?

Q15Is there high staff turnover? Are exit interviews conducted, and do they reveal psychosocial hazard trends?

Q16Do work schedule records show patterns of excessive overtime or unusual hours that could indicate stress or overwork?

Q17Has consultation about psychosocial hazards taken place with relevant workers?

Q18Have those conversations identified specific psychosocial hazards or concerns about the impact of the workplace on health and safety?

Q19Does the organisation have policies and procedures relating to psychological health and safety?

Q20Are workers aware of those policies and procedures, and have they received training on them?

Q21Is there evidence that psychological health and safety policies are being followed in practice?

Direct Observation

Use when observing your team day to day

Staffing and Wellbeing Observations

Q22Is there adequate staffing to complete required tasks without placing unreasonable pressure on individuals?

Q23When someone leaves or takes extended leave, are their roles backfilled promptly?

Q24Is there an appropriate mix of skills in the team to carry out required tasks?

Q25Are any workers showing signs of distress, such as increased irritability, withdrawal, low morale, longer hours, or changes in mood or appearance?

Q26Do workers communicate with each other respectfully, and is conflict addressed when it arises?

Q27Are workers attending work while clearly unwell, such as coming in with cold or flu symptoms?

Workplace Systems

Use when reviewing your HR and management systems

Reporting and Response Systems

Q28Is there a clear process for reporting inappropriate behaviours including bullying, sexual harassment, and violence or aggression?

Q29Is there a system for managing worker complaints and incident reports related to psychosocial hazards?

Q30Have managers received appropriate training to respond to and manage these complaints and incidents?

Q31Is training available and provided to support managers in carrying out their role effectively?

Q32Do workers have clear and up to date role descriptions that reflect their actual responsibilities and reporting lines?

Q33Are there clear procedures for performing duties and reporting, and is training available to support workers?

Q34Are workers consulted about their tasks, safety assessments, and the implementation of procedures that affect them?

Q35Are workers and managers trained to recognise and respond to early warning signs of distress in themselves and others?

Q36Is there a process to address early signs of distress when they are identified?

Q37Are systems in place for reporting psychosocial hazards and psychological injuries, and is action actually taken in response?

Q38Is there any evidence of underreporting, for example a gap between what is being reported and what workers say they are experiencing?

Copy all 38 internal assessment questions to paste into your own document, notes, or risk assessment records.

Before You Send Your Survey

Include a short paragraph at the start of your survey that explains the purpose, how results will be used, whether responses are anonymous, and who will have access to the data. Be transparent — people need to feel safe to respond honestly.

Select questions that are relevant to your organisation. Longer surveys often result in less considered responses. Quality over quantity.

Demographic Questions

A small number of demographic questions help you analyse results by team or location. Only ask what you genuinely need. Consider how data will be de-identified and who has access to raw responses.

QLD Legal Reference

This plan follows the four step risk management process set out in the Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice 2022 (QLD). All steps must be supported by consultation with workers. Complete, print, and file this with your WHS records.

How to use this plan: Work through each step in order. Fill in what you know. Assign a review date in Step 4. Print and file with your workplace health and safety records. Your HR Toolkit is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. For complex matters, seek independent legal advice.

Assessment Details

Who completed this assessment

Organisation Name

Completed by

Position / Role

Date of Assessment

Review Date

Step 1 — Identify the Hazards

Review workplace data, observations and consultation records

Question	Y / N	Comments and observations
Workplace Data — Leave and Records
Are there any indications when looking at employee sick leave, with or without certificates, which show relevant trends (e.g. headaches, recurrent colds or flu and musculoskeletal disorders)?
Are certain departments or roles showing higher sick leave than others?
Is annual leave being used to cover stress or burnout rather than genuine rest?
Are there workers compensation claims related to psychological injury?
Complaints, Incidents and Grievances
Are there recurring themes in formal complaints or grievances?
Do EAP reports show trends in the types of issues people seek support for?
Do incident reports point to specific psychosocial hazard patterns?
Are there industrial disputes linked to psychosocial conditions?
Consultation and Meeting Records
Are psychosocial hazards raised in meetings being recorded and actioned?
Do meeting minutes show recurring psychosocial hazard themes?
Have worker surveys flagged trends related to psychosocial hazards?
Staffing, Turnover and Policies
Are there previous safety audits with outstanding psychosocial hazard actions?
Is there high turnover and do exit interviews reveal psychosocial hazard trends?
Do work schedules show patterns of excessive overtime or unusual hours?
Does the organisation have psychological health and safety policies and do workers know about them?
Direct Observation
Is there adequate staffing to complete tasks without unreasonable pressure?
Are roles backfilled promptly when someone leaves or is on extended leave?
Are any workers showing signs of distress, withdrawal, or low morale?
Do workers communicate respectfully and is conflict addressed when it arises?
Workplace Systems
Is there a clear process for reporting bullying, harassment, and aggression?
Are managers trained to respond to psychosocial hazard complaints and incidents?
Do workers have clear role descriptions and are they consulted on tasks and procedures?
Are workers and managers trained to spot early warning signs of distress?
Are systems in place to report hazards and psychological injuries, and is action taken?
Is there evidence of underreporting — a gap between what is reported and what workers experience?

Step 2 — Assess and Prioritise Risk

For each hazard identified, assess the risk and whether action is needed

For each psychosocial hazard identified in Step 1, complete a row below. Consider the duties or tasks involved, what harm could result, how likely and serious that harm is, and whether action is required.

#	Psychosocial hazard	Duties or tasks involved	Possible consequences	Injury risk potential	Action required?

Step 3 — Control Risks

Identify existing controls and additional actions needed

For each risk requiring action from Step 2, complete this control plan. Assign a responsible person and a review date for each item.

Priority	Risk factors to address	Cause	Existing controls	Additional controls needed	Person responsible	Review date

Step 4 — Review Effectiveness of Controls

Confirm controls are working and risks are being managed

Are the control measures currently in place?

Are the controls eliminating or minimising the risk to an acceptable level?

Are there any new or remaining risks that need further attention?

Who was consulted in this review?

Name

Position

Date

Name

Position

Date

Name

Position

Date