Important update for Victoria: new OHS psychological health regulations coming

Regulators are increasingly focusing on psychosocial hazards in the workplace, recognising their impact on worker health and safety, leading to new laws and guidelines aimed at protecting employees’ psychological well-being. In line with this focus, the Victorian Government has officially announced that dedicated Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations are expected to be finalised by October 2025 and will come into effect in December 2025.

Interestingly, while Victoria was among the first to consider these crucial reforms, it’ll now be the last Australian state to implement specific psychological health regulations, aligning it with the rest of the country. In this article, we will explore what these Victorian legislation updates are, and what they mean for your business.

What’s changing?

These new obligations essentially reinforce the existing general duty under Victoria’s OHS laws to provide a safe working environment, which naturally includes psychological well-being. However, these upcoming regulations will provide clearer and more explicit guidance on how to achieve this, emphasising the need to manage psychosocial risks with the same systematic approach used for physical ones.

No mandatory prevention plans or reporting

In a significant update from earlier proposals, the final regulations won’t require employers to develop a mandatory written psychosocial hazard prevention plan. Additionally, there will be no mandated requirement for six-monthly de-identified reporting of psychosocial incidents.

However, businesses will still have the option to utilise tools like prevention plans to effectively manage risks, and this proactive approach will be encouraged by WorkSafe.

What this means for your business

While the formal regulations are still some time away, now is the time for businesses to proactively review their current approach to managing psychosocial risks. We encourage you to begin consulting with your workforce to identify potential hazards and determine practical steps to effectively manage them.

How can Citation Safety help you?

Citation Safety is committed to supporting you through these changes and will continue to provide updates around this. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to discuss how these upcoming regulations may impact your workplace. Our friendly team of WHS experts are ready to take your call and support you.