Psychosocial hazards in the ACT: the 2023 code of practice
Short answer
In the ACT, the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice Approval 2023 came into effect on 27 November 2023. It gives practical guidance on managing psychosocial risks. WorkSafe ACT lists common hazards such as job demands and low job control. Haznote adds a confidential route for workers.
Automatically checked against WorkSafe ACT on 1 Nov 2026.
What the regulator says
WorkSafe ACT’s page says the code of practice gives practical guidance on how to manage the risks associated with psychosocial hazards, and that its guidance is for PCBUs and workers. The regulator has also published pieces on conducting WHS investigations into psychosocial hazards and on work-related harassment and bullying.
What is particular to ACT
The ACT also publishes a psychosocial data snapshot, which helps employers see how common these matters are. The ACT is one of the places where workplace sexual assault is notifiable, so psychosocial and notifiable matters can overlap here. A single report might need a confidential route and also a notification. Those are two separate decisions, each made by a person. Handle them separately, or it’s easy to treat a matter as dealt with because one of the two steps is done.
A worked example
An office-based project administrator for a Canberra builder reports in confidence that a client’s representative has made repeated inappropriate comments at site meetings. The person handling it treats it as a psychosocial matter, considers whether it also falls under the notification rules, and records each decision separately.
What a useful record looks like
In the ACT workplace sexual assault is a notifiable incident. So whoever reads a confidential report needs to ask a second question: should this also be treated as notifiable? That’s a human decision, not the app’s. The report shows the date and time of the original account, so the notification clock, if it applies, can be worked out.
How Haznote handles it
Haznote keeps the two decisions separate, so a note on one does not overwrite the other. A confidential report goes to the company’s confidential contact, and a possibly-notifiable flag names WorkSafe ACT when the report suggests an incident may be notifiable. A person confirms both.
What the regulator says
Each row shows the source’s own words, who published them and when they were last checked by script.
| Item | What it says | Source and check date |
|---|---|---|
| Code of practice | The Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice Approval 2023 came into effect on 27 November 2023. Source says: | WorkSafe ACT Checked 1 Nov 2026 |
| Examples of hazards | Examples of common psychosocial hazards include job demands, low job control and poor support. Source says: | WorkSafe ACT Checked 1 Nov 2026 |
| General risk code | The Code of Practice How to manage work health and safety risks covers WHS duties and managing WHS risks more generally. Source says: | WorkSafe ACT Checked 1 Nov 2026 |
Plain answers.
When did the ACT code start?
WorkSafe ACT says the code approval came into effect on 27 November 2023.
Does the ACT publish data?
Yes, WorkSafe ACT has a psychosocial data snapshot.
Can a psychosocial matter also be notifiable?
It can. The ACT lists workplace sexual assault among notifiable incidents.
Where this comes from.
- Psychosocial hazards · WorkSafe ACT
General information, not legal advice. Check the current rules with WorkSafe ACT.
Give workers a confidential route that skips the site manager.
Run it on one site and see the first report land in the manager’s list.