Under the model Work Health and Safety Regulations, a person conducting a business or undertaking must identify psychosocial hazards, eliminate the risk so far as is reasonably practicable, and where elimination is not possible, minimise the risk using control measures. Since 1 December 2025 these duties have been enforceable in every Australian state and territory. From 1 July 2026, NSW businesses must comply with the approved Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work or demonstrate an equivalent standard.
Regulators expect control measures based on the actual risk profile of the work. Generic statements do not satisfy the duty, and higher-order controls that change the work itself are preferred over controls that ask the worker to cope. For a transport and logistics business, this means the assessment must address the hazards that arise in your workplace rather than describing workplace stress in the abstract.
Psychosocial hazards specific to transport and logistics
Transport and logistics is the sector where a psychosocial hazard and a road safety hazard are frequently the same thing. Fatigue driven by delivery windows, KPI pressure and long hours degrades judgement in a task where the consequence of degraded judgement is a crash. Drivers work alone for extended periods, which removes both support and supervision, and time away from home separates workers from the relationships that aid recovery. Aggression from customers and the public is routine in last-mile and passenger roles. Exposure to crashes and near misses — including incidents caused by others — produces trauma that is often treated as an operational matter rather than a psychological one. Owner-drivers additionally carry financial risk with no capacity to stand down.
The 17 psychosocial hazards covered
SafeWize transport and logistics kits include a separate risk assessment for each recognised psychosocial hazard, approximately 5 to 6 pages per hazard, with the hazard described in your industry's language, the risk rated, and controls selected and mapped to the hierarchy of controls. The full list is set out on the psychosocial kits page.
What documentation a regulator asks for
In a WHS investigation, documentary evidence determines the outcome. Inspectors typically ask for the psychosocial risk assessment, the control measures selected and their position in the hierarchy of controls, evidence of worker consultation, and records showing controls have been reviewed. A statement that the workplace culture is positive is not a defence and does not appear in an audit trail.
Authoritative sources
The obligations described on this page come from the model WHS Regulations and the psychosocial hazards Code of Practice. The primary sources are published by Safe Work Australia and the state and territory regulators:
Your regulator: SafeWork NSW · WorkSafe Victoria · WorkSafe Queensland · SafeWork SA · WorkSafe WA · WorkSafe Tasmania · WorkSafe ACT · NT WorkSafe · Comcare (Commonwealth)
SafeWize is not a regulator. The kits are compliance documentation, not legal advice. Always check the current requirements with the regulator in your jurisdiction.
