Managing psychosocial risk, step one: How to identify hazards

Psychosocial risk management

Download our hazard identification templates

Fast-track your psychosocial hazard identification process with our free-to-download templates.

Psychosocial list of definitions cheat sheet

When it comes to psychosocial risk management, having a clear understanding of the key terms is essential. Download our comprehensive list of definitions here.

Employee survey question suggestions

When it comes to hazard identification, knowledge is power. Get to know what your workforce is facing with our list of suggested survey questions, ready for you to copy and paste.

Our list of definitions and survey questions are designed to help you uncover the psychosocial hazards within your organisation. Our Head of Business Operations shares his advice on navigating this step.

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How to identify hazards

Psychosocial hazards and risks can be identified through surveys and focus groups, inspecting your workplace, taking notes of how employees interact, your culture, and any common themes in engagement surveys.

It’s also a good idea to review existing WHS reports and records, and leverage data, insights, and trends from external providers, such as Sonder.

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An important reminder

Not all teams will experience the same hazards, or experience them in the same way. For example, there may be hazards that are unique to front line workers compared to those in internal-facing roles.

Even the same hazards, like high workload, can be experienced differently across different teams.

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Amy Rixon
Chief People Officer, HUB24

The four steps to managing psychosocial risk

Sonder’s free-to-download tools and templates will help you identify, assess, and effectively control psychosocial risks. Use them to support your four-step process, and take proactive steps to support your employees’ psychological wellbeing.

Step one: Identify hazards

Understanding the risks that exist within your organisation is the first step towards managing them and creating a safer environment for your workers. This step often involves reviewing existing data and seeking new information, by talking and listening to your employees.

Step two: Assess risks

Once you have identified psychosocial hazards in your workplace, our risk matrix template will help you assess the risks they create. This will help you determine what is reasonably practicable in managing the risks.

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Step three: Control risks

Once you know which psychosocial hazards are present and you have assessed the risks they create, you are in a position to control them. Try our control suggestion tool and examples to get you started.

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Step four: Review control measures

If a control measure is not working effectively, it must be reviewed and modified or replaced. Our effectiveness matrix and question template will help you determine what’s working – and what should be modified.