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Victorian Psychosocial Risk Management Plan

A complete, editable plan for managing psychosocial risk in a Victorian workplace: the plan and policy, the tools to identify and assess the hazards, a risk register, procedures for reports and incidents, and a way to check it is working.

  • StateVictoria
  • RegulatorWorkSafe Victoria
  • Task or hazardManaging psychosocial risk
  • DocumentsManagement plan
  • FormatsWord (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), editable
  • CodeDOC-PSV-PLAN
  • Version1.0 · 2.3 MB ZIP

About the Victorian Psychosocial Risk Management Plan

The Victorian Psychosocial Risk Management Plan is a complete, editable plan for managing psychosocial risk in a Victorian workplace, for businesses in Victoria, and the WHS advisers and HR managers who support them. It is aligned to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations (Vic), including the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations, WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code on psychological health, the positive duty under the Equal Opportunity Act (Vic) and the positive duty under Commonwealth sex discrimination law. It includes the plan, a psychosocial policy and a cross-reference to the Victorian Regulations and compliance code; a hazard identification checklist, worker consultation survey and focus group guide; an Excel risk register and a control library for each hazard; and reporting, investigation and review tools, and a 90-day implementation plan. Everything is editable Word or Excel, delivered as an instant download.

Psychosocial hazards, such as high job demands, low job control, poor support, poorly managed change, bullying, harassment, aggression and violence, have to be managed like any other risk to health and safety. Victoria is not a harmonised WHS state: its own Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations apply, and the psychological health regulations set out what an employer must do: identify the psychosocial hazards, control the risks, and review and revise the controls. WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code on psychological health gives practical guidance on how. This plan gives a small or medium business a practical way to do it, in one set of documents written to work together.

It follows the risk management process: plan, identify the hazards, assess and control the risk, respond to reports and incidents, and monitor and review. Each step has its tools: a hazard identification checklist drawn from WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code and guidance, a work design walk-through, a worker consultation survey and focus group guide, an Excel risk register that assesses how often, how intensely and for how long employees are exposed, a control library, procedures for reports, investigations and traumatic events, guidance on notifying WorkSafe Victoria, and a sexual harassment prevention plan built on the positive duties under Victorian and Commonwealth law.

It is aligned to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations (Vic), including the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations, WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code on psychological health, the positive duty under the Equal Opportunity Act (Vic) and the positive duty under Commonwealth sex discrimination law. Consultation with employees and their health and safety representatives (HSRs) runs through every step. It uses the same hazards and the same approach as our psychosocial risk training: control the work, not the worker, and check that the controls work. Everything is editable Word or Excel, with a setup guide and a 90-day implementation plan. It is a framework to adapt and put into practice with your employees, not a substitute for doing so.

Who it is for

  • Small and medium businesses in Victoria without a safety or HR department
  • Employers and managers who need to put a psychosocial risk process in place
  • WHS advisers and HR managers setting one up for the organisation they support
  • Businesses that have done the training and need the plan and tools to apply it

What it helps you do

  • Identify the psychosocial hazards in your work, with the employees who do it and their HSRs
  • Assess and record each risk, and choose controls that change the work rather than the worker
  • Review and revise the controls when they are not working, or when something changes
  • Respond to reports and incidents consistently, and know when to notify WorkSafe Victoria
  • Take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sexual harassment
  • Show officers and employees what has been done, and check the controls are working

What is included in the Victorian Psychosocial Risk Management Plan

Delivered as one ZIP download. The files below are editable, and every Word document also comes as a PDF. Each download also includes Read Me First, a Product Overview, the Permitted Use Terms and Version Information (PDF).

FileFormatWhat it is for
90-Day Implementation PlanWord (.docx)A week-by-week plan for the first 90 days: who to involve, what to do first, and what should be in place by the end.
Setup GuideWord (.docx)What to adapt before use, in order: your organisation's details, who does what, how you consult employees and their HSRs, and every placeholder in the plan and its tools.
Psychosocial PolicyWord (.docx)A short policy for the employer to adopt and sign: its commitment, what it expects of managers and employees, and how to raise a concern.
Psychosocial Risk Management PlanWord (.docx)The plan itself: scope, roles and responsibilities, consultation with employees and HSRs, how hazards are identified, assessed and controlled, how reports are handled, and how the controls are reviewed and revised.
Victorian Regulations and Code Cross-ReferenceWord (.docx)Maps each requirement of the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations, and each part of WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code on psychological health, to the section of the plan, or the tool, that deals with it.
Data Sources ChecklistWord (.docx)The information the employer already holds (leave, turnover, complaints, incidents, WorkCover claims, exit interviews) and what each can show about psychosocial risk.
Focus Group GuideWord (.docx)A facilitator's guide to a small-group discussion with employees: questions, ground rules, and how to record what is raised without identifying anyone.
Hazard Identification ChecklistWord (.docx)A checklist of the psychosocial hazards, drawn from WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code and guidance and named as in our psychosocial risk training, each with prompts on how it shows up in the work and space to record where it is present.
Work Design Walk-Through GuideWord (.docx)A guide to walking through the work with the employees who do it: what to look for in job design, workload, support, change and working relationships.
Worker Consultation SurveyWord (.docx)A short, anonymous consultation survey of employees on the psychosocial hazards, with how to run it and report the results back to employees and HSRs.
Change Impact AssessmentWord (.docx)Checks a planned change (a restructure, new system, new roster or relocation) for psychosocial risk before it is made, with consultation of employees and HSRs built in.
Control LibraryWord (.docx)The hierarchy of control for psychosocial risks, eliminating the risk first and changing the work before relying on information, instruction and training, with example controls for each hazard to adapt to your work rather than copy as they are.
Psychosocial Risk RegisterExcel (.xlsx)An Excel register of each exposure: the role or work area and who is exposed, how often, how intensely and for how long, how hazards combine, the consequence, the existing controls and whether they have been checked, the risk rating, further controls, owners, due dates and review.
Investigation RecordWord (.docx)The record of a basic investigation: the concern raised, who was interviewed, the evidence, the findings, the outcome and the follow-up.
Reporting and Response ProcedureWord (.docx)How reports are received, triaged and responded to, with a report form and a triage guide: confidentiality, support for the people involved, timeframes and record keeping.
Sexual Harassment Prevention PlanWord (.docx)A prevention plan for sexual harassment and related unlawful conduct, built on the positive duties under Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act and Commonwealth sex discrimination law: the risks, the measures, who is responsible and how it is reviewed.
Traumatic Event Response ProcedureWord (.docx)What to do after a traumatic event at work: immediate safety and support, who to tell, follow-up in the weeks after, and the return to normal work.
WorkSafe Victoria Notification GuideWord (.docx)When an incident must be notified to WorkSafe Victoria, how to notify, and what to preserve, with a record of the notification.
Workplace Investigation ProcedureWord (.docx)A short, generic procedure for a basic workplace investigation: planning, interviews, findings, outcome and follow-up. Serious or complex matters need specialist advice.
Annual Plan Review ChecklistWord (.docx)A checklist for the yearly review of the whole plan: is it in use, are the controls effective, what has changed, and what to revise.
Officers' Due Diligence ReportWord (.docx)A report for officers (owners, directors, senior managers): the main exposures, whether the controls relied on have been checked, accepted exposures, open matters by age, and the questions to ask. Facts, not a status colour.
Psychosocial MeasuresExcel (.xlsx)An Excel workbook of leading and lagging measures for psychosocial risk: where the data comes from, who reports it and how often, the trigger for action, and the trend.
Quarterly Review Meeting AgendaWord (.docx)An agenda for a quarterly review: the register, reports and trends, the results of control checks, actions due, and a decision on every item.

How the plan works

Each folder is one step of the risk management process, and each tool feeds the next: what you find in the identify step goes into the risk register, reports and incidents feed back into it, and the review step checks the controls are working and revises them when they are not.

FIRST

Start here

  • Setup guide: what to adapt, and every placeholder
  • 90-day implementation plan
  • Read Me First, Product Overview, Permitted Use Terms and Version Information
STEP 1

Plan

  • Psychosocial risk management plan: scope, roles, consultation and process
  • Psychosocial policy to adopt and sign
  • Cross-reference to the Victorian Regulations and WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code
STEP 2

Identify

  • Hazard identification checklist, drawn from WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code and guidance
  • Work design walk-through guide
  • Data sources checklist
  • Worker consultation survey and focus group guide
STEP 3

Assess and control

  • Psychosocial risk register (Excel)
  • Control library by hazard, most effective first
  • Change impact assessment
STEP 4

Report and respond

  • Reporting and response procedure, with a report form and triage guide
  • Workplace investigation procedure and record
  • Traumatic event response procedure
  • WorkSafe Victoria notification guide
  • Sexual harassment prevention plan
STEP 5

Monitor and review

  • Psychosocial measures, leading and lagging (Excel)
  • Quarterly review meeting agenda
  • Annual plan review checklist
  • Officers' due diligence report

Set it up for your organisation

Before you adopt it, adapt the plan to:

  • Your organisation: its name, structure, sites, the work done and who does it
  • Who owns the plan, and who does what: officers, managers, supervisors, employees and HSRs
  • Your consultation arrangements: HSRs, designated work groups, a health and safety committee or other agreed arrangements
  • Your reporting lines, support services (such as an employee assistance program) and contacts
  • Your existing policies and procedures, so the plan links to them rather than repeats them
  • Review the plan after a report, an incident or a significant change, and on the schedule you set

What you need

  • Someone to own the plan, with time to set it up: often the owner or a manager, with a WHS or HR adviser
  • Your organisation's structure, roles and consultation arrangements (HSRs, designated work groups, a health and safety committee or other agreed arrangements)
  • Time to consult employees: the survey, walk-throughs and focus groups are where the hazards are found
  • The information you already hold: leave, turnover, complaints, incidents and WorkCover claims
  • Specialist advice for complex matters, such as a serious investigation or a legal question

Before you use it

  • The plan is licensed for internal use by the purchasing organisation. A WHS or HR adviser can set it up for a client that has bought it; using it with other clients needs our written permission.
  • The plan must be adapted to your organisation, your work and the hazards you find, in consultation with your employees and their health and safety representatives, before it is adopted.
  • Using the plan does not by itself make a workplace compliant with OHS laws. It supports the work of managing psychosocial risk; it is not legal advice.

Victorian Psychosocial Risk Management Plan: questions

Do I need a psychosocial risk management plan in Victoria?

You need to manage psychosocial risks; a written plan is not mandatory, but it is the clearest way to show how you do it. The Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations require an employer to identify psychosocial hazards, eliminate the risks so far as is reasonably practicable or, if that is not reasonably practicable, reduce them, and review and revise the controls. WorkSafe Victoria says prevention plans are not mandatory, though it encourages employers to use one, and its compliance code says employers should keep records of how they manage psychosocial hazards and consult on them. The plan, with its risk register, gives you that structure and those records.

What should a psychosocial risk management plan include?

It should cover the whole risk management process: who is responsible and how employees and their HSRs are consulted, how the hazards are identified, how each risk is assessed (how often, how intensely and for how long people are exposed, and how hazards combine), the controls, changing the work before relying on training or support, how reports and incidents are handled, and how the controls are checked and the plan reviewed. WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code says the records should cover each hazard, how and when it was identified, who is affected, the controls, who puts them in place and by when, their review, and the consultation: the risk register holds each of these. This plan has a part for each, with the tools to do it: a hazard identification checklist, a consultation survey, a risk register, a control library, reporting and investigation procedures, a sexual harassment prevention plan, and quarterly and annual reviews.

Does this plan make us compliant?

No. No plan can do that on its own. As an employer, your duties are met by managing the psychosocial risks in your actual workplace, so far as is reasonably practicable, in consultation with your employees and their HSRs. The plan gives you the structure and the tools to do that, and a record that you have. Using the plan does not by itself make a workplace compliant with OHS laws. It supports the work of managing psychosocial risk; it is not legal advice.

Is it only for Victoria?

Yes. It is written for workplaces in Victoria, which has its own occupational health and safety laws rather than the harmonised WHS laws of most other states and territories. It refers to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations (Vic), WorkSafe Victoria and the Equal Opportunity Act (Vic), and uses their terms: employers, employees and health and safety representatives. The positive duty under Commonwealth sex discrimination law applies across Australia.

Is there a NSW version?

Yes. The NSW Psychosocial Risk Management Plan is written for NSW workplaces, to the NSW Work Health and Safety Act and Regulation and the SafeWork NSW codes of practice. A business working in both states needs the plan for each. See the NSW Psychosocial Risk Management Plan.

What changed in Victoria in December 2025?

On 1 December 2025, psychological health regulations commenced under Victoria's occupational health and safety laws. Employers already had a duty to provide a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, psychological health included. The regulations set out how to meet it for psychosocial hazards: identify them, eliminate the risks so far as is reasonably practicable or, if that is not reasonably practicable, reduce them, starting with how the work is designed and managed rather than relying on information, instruction or training, and review and revise the controls. The plan is built on that process. WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code on psychological health gives practical guidance on meeting them.

Do we still need training?

Usually, yes. A plan only works when managers and employees know what psychosocial hazards are, how to report them and what to do with a report. The Psychosocial Risk training packages cover that at every level, from awareness for all employees to leadership, practitioner and executive governance, and use the same hazards and approach as the plan. The Implementation Toolkit adds deeper tools, such as role-based risk assessment and control verification, and the toolbox talks cover single hazards such as bullying, sexual harassment, aggression, lone work and fatigue. See the Psychosocial Risk training packages.

Does it include an investigation procedure?

Yes, a short, generic one: how to plan a basic workplace investigation, conduct interviews, reach findings and record the outcome, with a record template. It suits straightforward matters. For a serious, complex or contested matter, or one that may lead to dismissal, use an experienced investigator or get legal advice.

Does it cover sexual harassment?

Yes. It includes a sexual harassment prevention plan built on the positive duties under the Equal Opportunity Act (Vic) and Commonwealth sex discrimination law, which require employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sexual harassment and related unlawful conduct, as far as possible. Sexual harassment is also a psychosocial hazard under Victoria's occupational health and safety laws, so the risk register and the reporting procedures cover it too.

Who should set it up?

Someone who knows the organisation and can make decisions about how the work is done: often the owner or a senior manager, with a WHS or HR adviser, consulting employees and their HSRs. The setup guide and the 90-day implementation plan set out what to do, and in what order.

Can a WHS or HR adviser use it with clients?

The plan is licensed for internal use by the purchasing organisation. A WHS or HR adviser can set it up for a client that has bought it; using it with other clients needs our written permission. The simplest way is for each client to buy its own copy, which you then adapt with them.

Can we edit the documents?

Yes. Every document is supplied in Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx), so you can add your logo, change the wording and adapt it to your workplace. The copyright notice must stay.

Do we need to adapt it before use?

Yes. The plan must be adapted to your organisation, your work and the hazards you find, in consultation with your employees and their health and safety representatives, before it is adopted. The setup guide lists what to change, and the 90-day implementation plan the order to do it in.

Is GST included in the price?

Yes. Every price in the store includes GST, so $449.00 is the total, including $40.82 GST. Your receipt is a tax invoice showing the GST.

How are the files delivered?

As a ZIP download. Card purchases can be downloaded straight away from the confirmation page and by a link we email you. Download links expire after 14 days for security; you can request a new one at any time.

Can we order by invoice, or for several sites?

Yes. Use Request an Invoice to order through your normal procurement process, with a purchase order number and quantities if you need them. The files are released once payment is confirmed.

Can we use them at more than one site?

Yes, across your own organisation. The documents are licensed for internal use by the purchasing organisation. A consultant, labour hire business or training provider supplying them to clients needs separate written permission.

What is your refund policy?

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected. See the Refund Policy for how we handle a document that is faulty, not as described, or not what you ordered.

Licence and legal information here is general. It may not be correct in your jurisdiction: please check with your local WHS or OHS regulator.

Ordering for a business or several sites? Request an invoice. Other questions: contact us.

Training that goes with it

The plan sets up the process; training gives managers and workers what they need to use it. The Psychosocial Risk packages cover every level, and the toolbox talks brief the team on one hazard at a time.

Psychosocial Risk Awareness

For: All employeesDuration: 45–60 minutes

A practical introduction for every worker: what psychosocial hazards are, how work creates exposure, and how to raise a concern.

What's included
  • Editable PowerPoint presentation
  • Facilitator guide and participant workbook
  • Hazard identification activity
  • Knowledge assessment and completion certificate

Psychosocial Risk Leadership

For: Supervisors, team leaders and managersDuration: 3–4 hours

For supervisors and managers who shape how work is designed, allocated and checked every day.

What's included
  • Editable 46-slide presentation and detailed facilitator guide
  • Four management scenarios from operational workplaces
  • Team risk assessment and PRRR™ control planning tools
  • Completion certificate and training records

Psychosocial Risk Practitioner

For: Whoever is responsible for WHS in your businessDuration: One day

A full day on role-based risk assessment, control selection, critical controls and verification.

What's included
  • Editable 49-slide presentation and detailed facilitator manual
  • Full case pack and three worked risk assessment examples
  • Role-based risk assessment workbook (Excel) and worksheets
  • Assessments, completion certificate and training records

Executive Psychosocial Risk Governance

For: Business owners, directors and senior managersDuration: 90–120 minutes

For executives and directors: oversight, assurance and the questions that test whether controls are working.

What's included
  • Editable 28-slide executive presentation and facilitator guide
  • Briefing workbook and completion certificate
  • Risk reporting example: the same report done two ways
  • Governance scenario and assurance checklist

Psychosocial Risk Implementation Toolkit

For: Small and medium businesses, and whoever runs WHS in them

Editable assessment, response, recovery and review tools organised by the four PRRR stages.

What's included
  • Role-based psychosocial risk assessment
  • Risk register and control selection worksheet
  • Response, recovery and review tools
  • Implementation guide

Workplace Bullying and Harassment Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For every worker: what bullying and harassment are, what they are not, and how to raise a concern or support a colleague.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Sexual Harassment Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For every worker: what sexual harassment is, the employer's positive duty to prevent it, and how to report it or support someone who has experienced it.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Workplace Violence and Aggression Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For workers who deal with customers, clients, patients or the public: recognising warning signs, staying safe, and reporting every incident.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Lone and Remote Work Awareness

For: Workers who work alone, remotely or in isolated locationsDuration: 20–30 minutes

For workers who are on their own or a long way from help: what can go wrong, and the communication and check-in controls that bring help quickly.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Fatigue Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For every worker, and especially shift workers and long-hours workers: what causes fatigue, how it affects safety, and what the business and worker each do about it.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template