New Commonwealth Code of Practice in force

13 November 2024

The Australian Government has approved a new code of practice to support amended WHS laws prescribing how organisations manage risks to workers' mental health.

The Commonwealth Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024 provides practical guidance on complying with changes to the Work Health and Safety Regulations that came into effect on 1 April 2023.

The amended Regulations prescribe how Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking should identify and manage psychosocial hazards that may create risks to workers' psychological and physical health and safety. These changes, and the code of practice, were key recommendations of the 2018 review of the model WHS laws.

Approved by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the code of practice has guidance on WHS duties, hazard identification and risk management, and addresses a range of common workplace psychosocial hazards.

• Bullying
• Harassment, including sexual harassment
• Job demands
• Poor organisational change management
• Traumatic events and material
• Remote or isolated work
• Fatigue
• Poor physical environment
• Intrusive surveillance
• Lack of role clarity
• Low job control
• Job insecurity
• Poor support
• Violence and aggression
• Poor organisational justice
• Conflict or poor relationships/interactions
• Inadequate reward and recognition

The Commonwealth Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work introduces Fatigue, Intrusive Surveillance and Job Insecurity as common psychosocial hazards, with these hazards identified as relevant in the Commonwealth jurisdiction.

In addition, PCBUs in the Commonwealth jurisdiction must follow the hierarchy of controls to manage psychosocial risks, as set out in the Work Health and Safety Regulations. This is a step-by-step approach to eliminating or minimising risks, implementing controls from the highest to the lowest level of protection.

These are important differences from Safe Work Australia's Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work.

Learn more at WHS laws are changing

Page last reviewed: 13 November 2024