People at work

Mental (psychological) health, just like physical health, is an important part of work health and safety (WHS).

Recognising and managing risks in the workplace that may lead to physical or psychological injury is an essential part of creating a safe, healthy and productive workplace.

Under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (the WHS Act) a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has a legal responsibility to manage hazards and risks in the workplace.

Australian work health and safety regulators jointly funded tools and resources to provide a self-administered, financially sustainable set of resources, to be available both nationally and internationally, following the completion of the People at Work research project.  The overall aim of the People at Work research project was to assist employers to identify psychosocial hazards and factors and implement a psychosocial risk management process at the workplace.

The resulting tool, People at Work survey, is an evidence based psychosocial risk assessment survey tool that is easy to use to help to identify and manage work-related risks to psychological health and includes supporting resources for businesses.

People at Work can help you comply with your health and safety duties, better manage work-related psychosocial hazards and factors and prevent psychological harm and is available digitally to all Australian organisations at no cost.

Safe Work Australia’s publication Work-related psychological health and safety: A systematic approach to meeting your duties provides guidance to anyone who has a duty to prevent and manage harm to workers’ psychological health.

Identifying psychosocial hazards at work – People at Work – FREE TOOL