Urgent Calls by the AIHS for Psychosocial Safety in the Workplace

The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) have released a statement regarding psychosocial safety and why this particularly important to tackle in workplaces right now. With the World Day for Safety and Health at Work just passing on the 28^th of April, this is a crucial time to address psychosocial safety in the workplace. The AIHS are stating that this should be treated in a similar way to physical hazards, with urgency. This blog will discuss these urgent calls by the AIHS and discuss why psychosocial safety is an increasingly important topic within work health and safety, as well as providing some strategies on how workplaces can act on this.

Why Psychosocial Safety in the Workplace is Rising on the WHS Agenda

Psychosocial safety in the workplace should always be a top work health and safety concern, however there is a rising concern and growing recognition for it this year. The 28^th of April was World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and the theme focused on ensuring a healthy psychosocial working environment for all. Psychosocial hazards include factors such as job demands, bullying, poor support, lack of role clarity, harassment and traumatic events. According to data from Safe Work Australia, they “identified up to 22 psychosocial hazards that stem from workplace culture and work design” (AIHS, 2026). Therefore, psychosocial safety in the workplace is a rising concern due to the rapid increase in occurrence of psychosocial hazards and incidents.

What Prompted the AIHS Urgent Call?

This urgent call has been prompted due to the lack of action on psychosocial hazards in many workplaces and increasing injuries and claims due to this. According to the AIHS Chair, Celia Antonovsky, she stated that “psychosocial safety must be treated with the same urgency as physical hazards” (AIHS, 2026). According to Safe Work Australia, “more than 11,700 serious workers’ compensation claims” were a result of mental health conditions in 2024 (Safe Work Australia, 2024). The AIHS Chair has stated that psychosocial safety in the workplace requires action from an entire organisation or workplace and should be treated with the same amount of importance as physical safety hazards and risks.

This urgent action on psychosocial safety in the workplace is currently being emphasised due to the destructive consequences psychosocial hazards can have on people. Psychosocial hazards may not present themselves in the same way as physical hazards, therefore, they can easily be left unaddressed. According to recent studies from the Black Dog Institute, the top three psychosocial hazards in the workplace include “high job demands, burn out, and inadequate managerial support” (AIHS, 2026). These hazards are causing the most impact on frontline workers, those within the public service and healthcare sector. This is due to the emotionally and physically demanding conditions they work under. Therefore, for these workers specifically, psychosocial safety in the workplace should be a top priority.

What Psychosocial Safety Looks Like in Practice

In order to effectively deal with psychosocial safety in the workplace, practical measures should be taken to manage this and see change. According to the AIHS Chair Ms Antonovsky, psychosocial safety in practice involves “building environments where people feel supported and safe to speak up” (AIHS, 2026). Additionally, the AIHS has recommended that effective communication amongst managers and workers is key. This can be done by creating effective support systems for workers that allow them to openly and freely discuss concerns.

As well as this, psychosocial safety in practice can also involve:

• Risk identification and assessments.
• Consultation with workers, particularly in decision-making.
• Focused leadership and creating psychologically safe cultures.
• Integrating psychosocial risks into existing WHS systems.

Practical Steps Workplaces Can Take Today

Specifically, there are a variety of tools and strategies that workplaces can utilise to start addressing psychosocial safety today. For examples, utilising psychosocial safety services. At Recovery Partners, we offer a variety of psychosocial safety services that can assist with early identification and intervention of psychosocial hazards.

Some of these services include:

• ISO 45003 Psychosocial system gap analysis/ audit.
• Psychosocial/culture surveys.
• Psychosocial risk assessments and profiling.
• Psychosocial training.
• Policy and procedure development.

Utilising services such as these will assist with:

• Identifying gaps within systems and process to address and reduce risk of incidents.
• Reducing absenteeism and increase presenteeism statistics.
• Aligning WHS and Human Resources to address psychosocial gaps and implement controls.
• Creating a workplace-wide understanding of psychosocial safety and implementing effective strategies to manage this.