Australia
SafeWork NSW psychosocial inspections: what to have ready
Short answer: On 9 October 2026, SafeWork NSW announced it had started a six-week inspection operation on psychosocial hazards, its largest yet, covering businesses in all industries. Its Commissioner said organisations should be able to show how they identify risks, consult with workers and take action to prevent psychological harm before it occurs.
What SafeWork NSW announced
- Timing: a six-week operation, announced on 9 October 2026 and timed with World Mental Health Day.
- Who: inspectors are visiting businesses across all industries in NSW.
- Follow-up visits: the operation includes repeat visits to workplaces that received improvement notices in the May–June 2026 program. In that program, inspectors visited more than 200 workplaces and issued more than 80 improvement notices relating to psychosocial hazards and risk management.
- Demand: 20.5% of requests for service SafeWork NSW receives raise issues of psychosocial harm.
- Capacity: SafeWork NSW added 20 psychosocial-focused inspectors this year.
- Codes of practice: under reforms to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 that took effect on 1 July 2026, businesses are expected to follow relevant codes of practice, or manage hazards and risks in a different way that meets an equivalent or higher standard. That includes the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice.
What inspectors say they're looking for
SafeWork NSW Commissioner Janet Schorer said: "Organisations should be able to demonstrate how they identify risks, consult with workers and take action to prevent psychological harms before they occur."
A practical checklist
This is our checklist, built from the announcement and the usual risk management steps. It isn't a SafeWork NSW list. Adapt it to your workplace.
- Your psychosocial hazards, by team or site, and who is exposed.
- How you found them: survey results, check-in trends, incident and near-miss reports, complaints, workload and overtime data, and notes from conversations with workers.
- Records of consultation: meetings, health and safety representative or committee input, and results shared with staff.
- Controls with owners and dates: what you're changing, such as rosters, staffing, procedures for customer aggression or role clarity, who owns it and when it will be reviewed.
- Review records: when you last checked that controls are working, and what changed as a result.
- Support pathways: how workers raise a concern and how they reach your EAP or other professional support. If your organisation doesn't have an EAP, anyone who needs help is guided to government support services.
- Follow-up on any earlier improvement notice: what you did and when.
How WellbeingSolutions can help you build that picture
- Personalised SMS check-ins reach every shift with no app to download, giving you regular, dated information on how people are going.
- Triage to your chosen professional support, such as your EAP, when someone says they need help, with each step recorded.
- Anonymised trend reporting by site or team, useful for your hazard register and reviews.
- A confidential psychosocial risk assessment informed by ISO 45003 guidance, taking 8 to 12 minutes.
Using WellbeingSolutions isn't a statement that a legal duty has been met. It helps you gather the information you need to manage risk well. State-by-state detail: Psychosocial hazards in Australia.
Free 2-week SMS check-in pilot for up to 10 staff. Start your free pilot
Questions we hear
When is SafeWork NSW's psychosocial inspection operation?
SafeWork NSW announced a six-week operation on 9 October 2026, timed with World Mental Health Day. It didn't publish an end date.
Which businesses will SafeWork NSW visit?
SafeWork NSW says inspectors are visiting businesses across all industries in NSW, including repeat visits to workplaces that received improvement notices in May and June 2026.
What will inspectors look for?
SafeWork NSW's Commissioner said organisations should be able to show how they identify risks, consult with workers and take action to prevent psychological harm before it occurs.
How many improvement notices were issued in the earlier program?
SafeWork NSW says that in May and June 2026 its inspectors visited more than 200 workplaces and issued more than 80 improvement notices relating to psychosocial hazards and risk management.
Where can NSW businesses get advice?
SafeWork NSW runs a Psychosocial Advisory Service for workers and businesses, and is hosting a psychological health and safety seminar on 18 November 2026. Details are on its website.
This page summarises public information and is not legal advice. Last checked 26 October 2026.