Psychosocial hazards · VIC
Psychosocial hazards at work in Victoria.
Victoria requires employers to manage the risks of psychosocial hazards - and two of the named hazards, remote or isolated work and exposure to violence and aggression, are exactly where lone-worker safety sits. Here's the current instrument and what it means.
- Instrument
- the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic).
- Status
- The new Psychological Health Regulations commenced on 1 December 2025, adding specific psychosocial duties on top of the existing duty (Victoria's OHS Act has long treated health as including psychological health).
- Regulator
- WorkSafe Victoria ↗
Victoria operates its own occupational health and safety scheme under the OHS Act 2004 - separate from the harmonised national WHS laws. Don't assume the WHS position applies here.
Where lone-worker safety fits
Psychosocial hazards are aspects of work that can cause psychological harm. Two of the named hazards are the reason lone-worker safety exists: remote or isolated work (working away from support, with limited means to summon help) and exposure to violence and aggression. A monitored duress system - a reliable way to raise the alarm, a response that arrives, and evidence afterwards - is one control that addresses both of those specific hazards directly.
It is not the whole of compliance: regulators expect a hierarchy of controls, with work-design measures considered first. A duress system is one control within a broader, compliant approach.
This is general information, not legal advice. The authoritative source is WorkSafe Victoria and the legislation itself - check the current requirements that apply to your workplace at legislation.vic.gov.au.