Understanding Victoria’s New Psychosocial Hazard Regulations — What Employers Need to Know (and How Make a Report & Stopline Can Help)

The introduction of the OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 marks a major shift in how Victorian workplaces handle psychological safety.

Psychosocial hazards — whether arising from bullying, excessive workload, poor leadership, traumatic exposure, or weak organisational processes — now require structured, proactive and evidence-based management. Employers who fail to meet these obligations may face significant legal, cultural and financial consequences.

But with the right systems in place — including Make a Report, your secure and modern reporting and case-management platform, and Stopline, Australia’s leading independent disclosure service — organisations can meet their obligations with confidence while building safer, more transparent and resilient workplace cultures.

How Stopline Supports Psychosocial Safety and Compliance

Alongside Make a Report, many organisations continue to rely on Stopline, Australia’s first and most trusted independent whistleblower and integrity reporting service. Stopline was established in 2001.

With more than 600 organisations nationwide and millions of people supported, Stopline has long provided a secure and independent avenue for workers to disclose concerns — including psychosocial hazards such as bullying, harassment, discrimination, victimisation and unsafe practices.

Stopline strengthens psychosocial safety by:

• Providing an independent reporting channel

• Reducing fear of retaliation

• Supporting anonymous reports

• Offering 24/7 availability

• Triaging and assessing risk

• Supporting employers with early intervention

• Enhancing organisational trust and culture

In the context of the new Victorian psychosocial regulations, having both:

• an internal structured system (Make a Report)
  and

• an independent reporting option (Stopline)

demonstrates strong due diligence, transparency and commitment to worker wellbeing.

This dual-channel model aligns with best practice under AS 8001:2021, ISO 37002:2021, and WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance.

OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025

Victoria has entered a new era of workplace safety. With the commencement of the OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, employers now face expanded and explicit duties to prevent harm arising from psychosocial hazards. These changes recognise what many workers have long understood: psychological safety is just as essential as physical safety.

WorkSafe Victoria has released extensive guidance on these changes, outlining new expectations and practical requirements for businesses of all sizes. Employers can find this information at: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/psychological-health

What Are Psychosocial Hazards?

According to WorkSafe Victoria, psychosocial hazards are aspects of work design, management, environment, or interactions that may cause psychological harm. These hazards may lead to stress, anxiety, depression, trauma-related conditions, burnout, or physical injuries associated with prolonged psychological strain.

WorkSafe Victoria identifies a broad range of psychosocial hazards, including:

1. Workplace Bullying, Aggression, Harassment and Violence

• Verbal abuse, exclusion, intimidation

• Sexual harassment or gender-based violence

• Threats, aggression or actual physical violence
  (Reference: WorkSafe Victoria — Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace)

2. Exposure to Traumatic Events or Distressing Content

• Handling complaints involving violence or abuse

• Reviewing traumatic material

• Vicarious trauma for frontline roles
  (WorkSafe Victoria — Appendix C Examples)

3. High Job Demands and Workload Pressure

• Long hours

• Excessive responsibilities

• Unreasonable time pressure
  (WorkSafe Victoria — Compliance Code, Part 1)

4. Low Job Control or Role Ambiguity

• Unclear expectations

• Limited ability to influence how work is completed

• Conflicting job instructions
  (WorkSafe — Psychosocial Hazards and Your Legal Duties)

5. Poor Organisational Change Management or Unfair Treatment

• Inconsistent processes

• Lack of support during change

• Perceived organisational injustice

6. Poor Workplace Relationships or Inadequate Support

• Poor supervision

• Strained peer relationships

• Lack of recognition or feedback

7. Remote, Isolated or Environmentally Challenging Work

• Working alone

• Hazardous conditions

• Limited access to support

WorkSafe emphasises that these hazards must be taken seriously when psychological responses are frequent, prolonged, or severe, as they can lead to significant mental and physical health impacts.

The Critical Role of Reporting Systems: Why Make a Report & Stopline Are More Important Than Ever

To comply with the new Victorian regulations, organisations need more than policies. They need secure, structured, auditable systems that allow workers to speak up safely — and ensure issues are followed through to resolution.

This is where Make a Report, your modern case-management and disclosure reporting platform, becomes vital.

Make a Report enables employees, contractors, families and other stakeholders to report psychosocial hazards securely — anonymously or confidentially — with full tracking through to resolution.

Need help implementing psychosocial hazard reporting?

We can support your organisation with:
✔ Psychosocial hazard reporting systems
✔ Whistleblower hotlines
✔ Case-management tools
✔ Policy development
✔ Training for leaders and managers
✔ End-to-end incident management workflows

Contact us to learn more about integrating Make a Report or Stopline into your organisation. Please send an email to Andrew McLeish - andrewmcleish@stopline.com.au