"Prioritizing Mental Safety" - The Impact of "Psychological Harassment Regulations" Initiated in Victoria

"Psychological Safety" Finally Reaches Regulatory Level

In Victoria, Australia, a significant turning point has been reached regarding workplace mental health.
On December 1, 2025, the "Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025" came into effect, obligating companies to protect "psychological safety" more explicitly than ever before.Wyndham

Previously, some companies independently introduced stress checks and EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs). However, these were largely seen as "aspirational goals," positioned in a gray area of "good if done, not illegal if not."
The new regulations elevate mental health from a "peripheral theme" of workplace safety and health to a "core legal obligation."

Sam Jenkin, Chief Health & Safety Officer at WorkSafe (the state's occupational safety agency), emphasized in the announcement, "Future safety means treating mental risks with the same seriousness as physical ones."worksafe.vic.gov.au

What Does the New Regulation's "Psychosocial Hazard" Countermeasure Entail?

The keyword of the new regulations is "psychosocial hazards."
This refers to factors such as job design, workplace relationships, and work processes that cause stress or psychological burden. WorkSafe cites examples like the following:worksafe.vic.gov.au

• Bullying and Harassment

• Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence

• Verbal Abuse, Violence, and Aggressive Behavior from Customers, Clients, or Colleagues

• Repeated Exposure to Traumatic Events or Content, Such as Accidents, Incidents, or Abuse

• Excessive (or Insufficient) Workload and Responsibility

• Lack of Autonomy and Unclear Roles

• Perceived Unfairness in Evaluation and Rewards, Rough Organizational Changes, Lack of Support from Superiors, etc.

Under the new regulations, nearly all employers in Victoria are required to manage these psychosocial hazards through a series of processes:

1. Identify

2. Assess the Risk

3. Eliminate or Reduce the Risk as Much as Possible

4. Monitor and Revise the Measures as Necessary

This structured approach is mandated.worksafe.vic.gov.au

It's not enough to simply post "We have a consultation desk"; organizations are required to create systems to structurally reduce risks.

The Background of Increasing "Invisible Work-Related Accidents"

Why was such a detailed regulation necessary?
The background lies in the reality that "mental illness" continues to quietly spread.

In Victoria, it is reported that about 17% of WorkSafe's work-related injury claims for 2024-25 were related to mental health injuries and illnesses.labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au

Even if each case is not easily visible, absences or resignations due to depression, anxiety disorders, or PTSD represent significant losses for both companies and society.

Particularly high-risk areas include:

• Construction and Manufacturing, where high stress and danger are present

• Call Centers, Retail, and Service Industries with frequent customer interactions

• Child Welfare, Healthcare, Aged Care, and Support Services, where professionals regularly face others' suffering and trauma

These are the fields in question.worksafe.vic.gov.au

In such environments, the custom of "It's just part of the job" or "Everyone is enduring it" has persisted for a long time. However, the accumulation of such "endurance" can sometimes lead to the worst-case scenarios, such as sudden resignation or suicide attempts.

The new regulations aim to bring these "invisible but serious risks" into the light of the law.

From Checklists to Transforming "Systems"

So, what should companies actually do?
According to WorkSafe materials and various legal interpretations, the following steps are recommended:worksafe.vic.gov.au

1. Current Situation Assessment

   • Identify complaints, consultations, and incident reports related to harassment, violence, and long working hours

   • Conduct stress checks and employee surveys to visualize burdens and dissatisfaction by department

2. Risk Assessment

   • Analyze which departments and tasks have strong psychosocial hazards

   • Evaluate their frequency and severity, and prioritize them

3. Specific Measures to Reduce Risks

   • Review workloads and deadlines, and improve shift systems

   • Establish policies and training to ensure a culture that does not tolerate harassment

   • For roles exposed to potentially traumatic content, set up rotation and debriefing systems

   • Provide support for middle management to prevent burnout from being "caught in the middle"

4. Monitoring and Improvement

   • Regularly review data on complaints, turnover rates, and sick leave to verify the effectiveness of measures

   • Update strategies through dialogue among management, field staff, HR, and safety and health officers

The key is not to end with "We held a mental health seminar once," but to incorporate psychological risk into the risk management cycle.
Legal interpretations suggest that changing the design of work itself is necessary, rather than relying solely on information provision or training.minterellison.com

The Local Perspective in Wyndham: Expectations and Confusion

The article in Wyndham Star Weekly conveying this news indicates that the new regulations are a familiar topic for businesses and workers in the Wyndham region of western Melbourne.Wyndham

For example, a medium-sized logistics company has long focused on "physical safety" such as forklift accidents and slips and falls, but has not adequately addressed the stress of loneliness during night shifts or the stress faced by office staff constantly exposed to customer complaints.
The company's HR representative says:

"We have been telling employees to 'consult us if anything happens,' but honestly, we were unsure how far we could go.
Thanks to the new regulations, we feel we can now see the line of 'what should be done' as a company."

Meanwhile, the owner of a small café welcomes these changes but worries about the costs.

"I understand the need for staff mental care, especially with customers who can be verbally abusive.
But how much can small and medium-sized eateries institutionalize this without support from the government or industry associations?"

This mix of "expectations and confusion" reflects the current reality on the ground.

Reactions on Social Media: "Finally, the Times Have Caught Up" vs. "A Burden on Small Businesses?"

The implementation of the new regulations has sparked discussions on social media.
Browsing platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook reveals prominent voices such as:

Voices of Welcome

• "As someone who resigned due to depression, this level of action is necessary for change. It feels like the times have finally caught up."

• "The era of only ensuring physical safety is over. If your mental health breaks, your whole life can crumble, so this is a natural progression."

• "I hope this leads to a review of management's 'bullying management' practices."

Voices of Concern and Caution

• "For small businesses, will it just mean more paperwork and procedures? I'm worried if they understand the realities on the ground."

• "I'm afraid that in disputes with employees, everything might be claimed as 'psychologically unsafe.'"

• "If it starts with penalties, won't it just become a 'checklist in form only'?"

Constructive Opinions

• "Instead of penalties, I want more sharing of good examples from the field. If successful patterns are visible, companies will find it easier to act."

• "I think we've entered a phase where workers should also consider how to improve the environment, rather than blaming everything on the company."

In other words, many people agree with the direction but feel that mismanagement could lead to significant backlash.

From Defensive "Compliance" to Proactive "Organization Building"

How should companies perceive these new regulations?
The outcome will differ greatly depending on whether they view it as "the minimum to avoid penalties" or as "an opportunity to update organizational culture."

Psychosocial hazards, when turned around, are accumulations of "work difficulties" and "feelings of unfairness."
Addressing these carefully can lead to many