School leaders are becoming increasingly aware that workplace safety isn’t just about physical hazards, it’s also about managing psychological risks. Under Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws across Australia, managing psychosocial hazards is now firmly recognised as a legal responsibility for schools as employers. This article outlines your obligations, recent case law and practical strategies for reducing psychosocial risks in your school.
What are psychosocial hazards?
Psychosocial hazards are factors in the workplace that can cause psychological or physical harm. In school environments, these can arise from:
- Workplace bullying
- Exposure to violence or aggression from parents or students
- Unreasonable workloads
- Poor organisational change management
- Lack of role clarity
- Trauma exposure such as managing critical incidents or student disclosures
Schools' legal obligations
All Australian jurisdictions (with the exception of Victoria) explicitly require employers, including independent, Catholic and government schools, to manage psychosocial risks.
Under the Model WHS Regulations, which have been adopted in all states and territories except Victoria, employers must:
- Identify psychosocial hazards
- Assess the associated risks
- Implement control measures to eliminate or minimise the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable
- Review control measures to ensure effectiveness
Victoria, while not adopting the model regulations, still requires employers to identify, eliminate and/or control psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Explicit regulations are expected to be introduced by the end of 2025.
Failure to comply can lead to enforcement action, including improvement notices, fines, or even prosecution by the relevant safety regulator.
In a case that highlights the risks of ignoring psychosocial hazards, a Victorian toy company was fined $100,000 in May 2025 for failing to manage the risk of sexual harassment in its workplace.
WorkSafe Victoria prosecuted the employer after an investigation revealed that the company:
- Failed to implement controls to prevent or manage sexual harassment
- Did not provide adequate training to staff
- Had no effective policies or procedures for handling inappropriate conduct
While the case involved a manufacturing business, the lessons are directly relevant to schools: failing to take reasonable steps to prevent psychosocial harm, such as harassment or bullying, can lead to serious regulatory consequences.
WorkSafe stated:
“Employers have a clear duty to manage the risk of psychosocial hazards in the same way they are required to manage physical risks.”
Schools must recognise that risks to mental health, including harassment, bullying and work-related stress, are just as enforceable under WHS laws as physical injuries.
Common psychosocial risks in schools
Schools are uniquely complex environments. Below are examples of psychosocial risks commonly seen in schools, along with tips for managing them:
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Hazard
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Example
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Practical tip
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High job demands
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Teachers expected to manage excessive admin on top of teaching
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Audit workloads; adjust non-teaching duties during busy periods
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Poor role clarity
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Unclear expectations for support staff roles
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Provide updated position descriptions and clear reporting lines
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Bullying and harassment
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Staff gossiping, isolating or intimidating new employees
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Introduce anonymous reporting channels and annual anti-bullying training
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Poor organisational change management
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Implementing new systems without consultation
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Use staff surveys and working groups before introducing major changes
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Exposure to violence or aggression
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Parent yelling at reception staff
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Train frontline staff in de-escalation techniques; install physical barriers if necessary
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Best practice: integrate psychosocial risk management into existing systems
The key to managing psychosocial risks effectively is embedding them into your existing WHS and human resource systems. This includes:
- Risk assessments: include psychosocial risks in your hazard registers
- Incident reporting: ensure your incident management system captures psychological harm
- Staff surveys: use anonymous staff surveys to identify trends in stress, morale and workload
- Training: provide regular training on managing student aggression, self-care and resilience
The role of the principal and school board
School leaders and governing bodies play a critical role in setting the tone and ensuring compliance. Key responsibilities include:
- Ensuring that WHS policies address both physical and psychosocial risks
- Allocating sufficient resources to implement control measures
- Monitoring trends and incidents at the board level
Under WHS legislation, officers of the organisation (e.g. principals and board members) have a duty to exercise due diligence. This means they must take reasonable steps to ensure the school complies with its WHS obligations, including managing psychosocial hazards.
Final thoughts
Managing psychosocial hazards isn’t just about avoiding fines or legal claims, it’s about creating a safe, respectful and supportive workplace culture for all staff.
In the wake of increasing scrutiny by regulators, now is the time for school leaders to review their policies, update training and prioritise staff wellbeing as a core safety issue.
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