psychosocial-model-checker

Model (National) Psychosocial Hazard Management — Complete Reference

Purpose

This skill provides the verified Model (national) legislative and guidance framework for managing psychosocial hazards at work. It extracts key provisions from four source documents:

1. Model WHS Bill (December 2025) — primary duty provisions, psychosocial hazard definitions, reasonably practicable test, officer and worker duties, codes of practice status
2. Model WHS Regulations (December 2025) — Division 11 (psychosocial risks), rr. 55A–55D, duties to identify, assess, control and review psychosocial risks
3. Model CoP: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work (July 2022) — approved code under s. 274 WHS Act; 14 hazard categories, risk management process, identification methods, assessment criteria, control measures, review triggers, investigation guidance, record-keeping
4. Model CoP: Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment (December 2023) — approved code under s. 274 WHS Act; identification, assessment, controlling risks (9 control domains), investigation and responding, leadership and culture, trauma-informed approach

This is a reference skill — it is not intended as a standalone user tool. It is loaded by action skills (e.g. psychosocial gap analysis, risk register builder, audit criteria generator) when they need to verify or cite Model psychosocial hazard provisions.

Critical Rules

1. Only cite provisions that appear in the section files. Never fabricate or assume section numbers, regulation numbers, page references or content.
2. Citation format — legislation: Use "s [number]" for WHS Act sections (e.g. "s 19 of the Model WHS Act") and "r [number]" or "rr [range]" for WHS Regulations (e.g. "r 55B" or "rr 55A–55D").
3. Citation format — Codes of Practice: Reference by title and chapter/section/appendix (e.g. "CoP: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work, Appendix A, Hazard 3 — Poor Support" or "CoP: Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment, s. 5.5").
4. Use conservative, factual language when describing legislative obligations and Code of Practice guidance. Avoid subjective or emotive terms — describe requirements in objective terms.
5. Always use Australian English spelling (e.g. behaviour, organisation, colour, defence, licence [noun], minimise, analyse).
6. Distinguish between sources. The Act establishes duties and offences. The Regulations prescribe specific requirements for psychosocial risk management. The Codes of Practice provide practical guidance on how to comply with duties.
7. The two CoPs are complementary. The SGBH CoP is intended to be read alongside the Managing Psychosocial Hazards CoP. Where the SGBH CoP does not cover a topic, refer to the corresponding chapter in the Managing Psychosocial Hazards CoP.
8. Model vs jurisdiction-specific. These are Model provisions. Jurisdiction-specific skills (psychosocial-qld, psychosocial-nsw, etc.) should be loaded when jurisdiction-specific provisions are needed. Model provisions provide the baseline framework that jurisdictions adopt (with or without modification).
9. If a provision cannot be located in these files, state that the specific provision should be verified against the current legislation and indicate which source document it is likely found in.

Section Index

Read the relevant section file(s) based on the subject matter of the query:

Model WHS Bill and Regulations

File	Content	When to Read
sections/model-whs-bill-duties.md	Model WHS Bill — psychosocial duty provisions	Primary duty of care (s 19), psychosocial hazard definitions, reasonably practicable (s 18), officer duties (s 27), worker duties (s 28), offence categories and penalties (ss 31–33), consultation (Part 5), codes of practice (s 274), right to cease unsafe work
sections/model-whs-regs-psychosocial.md	Model WHS Regulations — Division 11	Psychosocial risk definitions (r 55A), duty to identify (r 55B), duty to manage risks (r 55B), risk assessment (r 55C), control measures (r 55D), review of controls (r 55C(4))

Model CoP: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

File	Chapters	When to Read
sections/model-cop-hazards.md	Chapters 1, 3	14 psychosocial hazard categories (overview), WHS duties summary, consultation requirements, hazard identification methods, sources of information, reporting mechanisms
sections/model-cop-risk-management.md	Chapters 2, 4, 5, 6, 7	Four-step risk management process, management commitment, risk assessment (duration/frequency/severity), hierarchy of controls, reasonably practicable test, cost of controls, implementing controls, review triggers and questions, record-keeping
sections/model-cop-appendix-a.md	Appendix A	10 job characteristic hazards — detailed definitions, examples and control measures for: (1) job demands, (2) low job control, (3) poor support, (4) lack of role clarity, (5) poor organisational change management, (6) inadequate recognition and reward, (7) poor organisational justice, (8) traumatic events or material, (9) remote or isolated work, (10) poor physical environment
sections/model-cop-appendix-b.md	Appendix B	4 harmful behaviour hazards — risk factors, identification guidance and control measures for: (11) aggression, (12) bullying, (13) harassment including sexual harassment, (14) conflict or poor workplace relationships. Control domains: physical work environment/security, safe work systems/procedures
sections/model-cop-appendix-c.md	Appendix C	Risk register template — field descriptions, usage notes
sections/model-cop-investigations.md	Chapter 8	WHS investigations — privacy/confidentiality, proportionality, selecting an investigator, fair and transparent process, concurrent investigations

Model CoP: Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment

File	Chapters	When to Read
sections/model-sgbh-identification.md	Chapters 1–4	Definitions (sexual harassment, sex/gender-based harassment), where it occurs, who is affected, impacts, WHS duties including positive duty under SDA (Respect@Work), risk management overview, identification methods (consult workers, consider work design, consider physical environment, observe, consider workforce demographics/culture, reporting mechanisms), intersectional nature, interaction with other psychosocial hazards
sections/model-sgbh-controls.md	Chapters 5–6	9 control domains under WHS Reg r 55D: (5.1) duration/frequency/severity, (5.2) interaction of psychosocial hazards, (5.3) design of work/job demands/tasks, (5.4) systems of work, (5.5) workplace design and layout, (5.6) worker accommodation, (5.7) plant/substances/structures, (5.8) workplace interactions/behaviours and policies, (5.9) information/training/instruction/supervision. Also: maintain and review control measures, review triggers, review questions
sections/model-sgbh-investigation.md	Chapter 7	Investigating and responding to reports — nature of investigation, selecting an investigator, trauma-informed approach (safety, trust, equity and respect, hope), confidentiality, settlement agreement guidance
sections/model-sgbh-leadership.md	Chapter 8, Appendices A–B	Leadership role and responsibilities, officer due diligence duties for SGBH, organisational culture, practical culture change measures. Appendix A: definitions (sexual harassment, sex/gender-based harassment, hostile working environments, discrimination, gendered violence, misgendering/deadnaming, intersectional harassment). Appendix B: resources (WHS regulators, police, human rights agencies, Fair Work Commission, Fair Work Ombudsman, workers' compensation, mental health support, 1800RESPECT)

Workflow

1. Identify the subject matter from the calling skill's query or the user's request
2. Read the relevant section file(s) — read only what is needed to answer the query
3. Cite provisions accurately from the extracted text, using the citation formats above
4. Cross-reference between sources where appropriate (e.g. WHS Act s 19 primary duty → WHS Reg rr 55A–55D specific requirements → CoP Appendix A control measures)
5. Flag any gaps — if the query requires jurisdiction-specific provisions not covered by the Model, note this and refer to the appropriate jurisdiction skill (e.g. psychosocial-qld)

Common Query Routing

Query Topic	Primary File(s)	Key References
PCBU primary duty re psychosocial risks	model-whs-bill-duties.md	WHS Act s 19
Officer due diligence	model-whs-bill-duties.md, model-sgbh-leadership.md	WHS Act s 27
Psychosocial hazard definitions	model-whs-regs-psychosocial.md, model-cop-hazards.md	WHS Reg r 55A
14 hazard categories (overview)	model-cop-hazards.md	CoP Ch 1; Appendix A (1–10), Appendix B (11–14)
Specific hazard category (detail)	model-cop-appendix-a.md or model-cop-appendix-b.md	Appendix A or B by hazard number
Duty to identify psychosocial risks	model-whs-regs-psychosocial.md, model-cop-hazards.md	WHS Reg r 55B; CoP Ch 3
Risk assessment criteria	model-whs-regs-psychosocial.md, model-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 55C; CoP Ch 4
Control measures (general)	model-whs-regs-psychosocial.md, model-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 55D; CoP Ch 5
Control measures (specific hazard)	model-cop-appendix-a.md or model-cop-appendix-b.md	Appendix A or B controls section
Control measures (SGBH specific)	model-sgbh-controls.md	SGBH CoP ss 5.1–5.9
Review of controls	model-cop-risk-management.md, model-sgbh-controls.md	WHS Reg r 55C(4); CoP Ch 6; SGBH CoP Ch 6
WHS investigations (psychosocial)	model-cop-investigations.md	CoP Ch 8
Investigations (SGBH)	model-sgbh-investigation.md	SGBH CoP Ch 7, ss 7.1–7.4
Trauma-informed approach	model-sgbh-investigation.md	SGBH CoP s 7.3
Leadership and culture	model-sgbh-leadership.md	SGBH CoP Ch 8
SGBH definitions and types	model-sgbh-identification.md, model-sgbh-leadership.md	SGBH CoP Ch 1; Appendix A
Positive duty (SDA / Respect@Work)	model-sgbh-identification.md	Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) positive duty
Workplace policies	model-sgbh-controls.md, model-cop-appendix-b.md	SGBH CoP s 5.8; CoP Appendix B
Training requirements	model-sgbh-controls.md, model-cop-appendix-b.md	SGBH CoP s 5.9; WHS Reg r 39
Risk register template	model-cop-appendix-c.md	CoP Appendix C
Record-keeping	model-cop-risk-management.md	CoP Ch 7
Consultation obligations	model-whs-bill-duties.md, model-cop-hazards.md	WHS Act Part 5, ss 46–49
Resources and support services	model-sgbh-leadership.md	SGBH CoP Appendix B

The 14 Psychosocial Hazard Categories

For quick reference, the Model framework identifies 14 categories of psychosocial hazard:

Job characteristics, design and management (Appendix A):

#	Hazard	Key WHS Reference
1	Job demands (high or low)	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
2	Low job control	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
3	Poor support	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
4	Lack of role clarity	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
5	Poor organisational change management	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
6	Inadequate recognition and reward	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
7	Poor organisational justice	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D; WHS Act ss 104–109
8	Traumatic events or material	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
9	Remote or isolated work	WHS Reg r 48; rr 55A–55D
10	Poor physical environment	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D

Harmful behaviours (Appendix B):

#	Hazard	Key WHS Reference
11	Violence and aggression	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
12	Bullying	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D
13	Harassment (including sexual and gender-based)	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D; SGBH CoP
14	Conflict or poor workplace relationships	WHS Reg rr 55A–55D

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. The process outlined in the Codes of Practice should be used to ensure all hazards in the workplace are identified, assessed and controlled.

Version Information

• Model WHS Bill: December 2025 (as published by Safe Work Australia)
• Model WHS Regulations: December 2025 (as published by Safe Work Australia)
• Model CoP: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work: July 2022, 54 pages (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Model CoP: Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment: December 2023, 42 pages (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Extraction method: Text extracted from official Safe Work Australia publications

Note: These are Model (national) provisions. Jurisdictions adopt these provisions with or without modification. For jurisdiction-specific provisions, load the relevant jurisdiction skill (e.g. psychosocial-qld, psychosocial-nsw). Model provisions should not be cited as the applicable law in any specific jurisdiction without verification against the jurisdiction's enacted legislation.