WorkSafe Victoria has established a specialist Psychosocial Inspectorate to support enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, which commenced on 1 December 2025. This is a dedicated team of inspectors trained specifically in psychosocial hazard identification, assessment, and control.

A specialist inspectorate is not a guidance document or an awareness campaign. It is operational enforcement capability, and it changes what an inspection looks like in practice.

What a specialist inspectorate means

An inspector from a specialist Psychosocial Inspectorate arrives with specific training in how psychosocial hazards present in workplaces, how to assess whether an employer has identified and controlled them, and what constitutes an adequate risk management process for these hazards. They know the difference between a policy that exists on paper and a system that operates in practice.

WorkSafe has indicated that inspectors with psychosocial expertise are more likely to arrange interviews with complainants, make enquiries about an employer's systems and processes for managing risk, and issue improvement notices where gaps are found. Depending on the outcome of a follow-up inspection, a case may be closed or referred for comprehensive investigation and potential prosecution under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic).

The hazards most likely to attract regulatory attention are reports of aggression and violence, high job demands, bullying, exposure to trauma, and sexual harassment or gendered violence.

The scale of regulatory engagement

The demand for regulatory guidance on psychosocial hazards in Victoria is already significant. WorkSafe responded to more than 7,100 inquiries from employers and workers about psychosocial hazards in 2024-25. That volume of contact predates the commencement of the new Regulations.

The top three psychosocial hazards reported to WorkSafe's advisory line in FY 2023-24 were bullying, poor support, and aggression or violence, followed by poor workplace relationships and poor organisational justice.

Work-related mental injuries continue to increase in Victoria, representing 17 to 18 per cent of all new workplace injury claims in 2023-24.

Capacity building, not just standard setting

This is part of a pattern that extends beyond Victoria. Regulators across Australia are not just setting psychosocial compliance requirements. They are building the institutional capability to enforce them. NSW has established SafeWork NSW as a standalone regulator with a dedicated Commissioner and an independent review recommending specialist inspector training on psychosocial hazards. The Commonwealth has established a Psychosocial Inspection Program under Comcare.

Victoria's specialist inspectorate fits this trajectory. The Regulations set the legal framework. The Compliance Code sets the practical benchmark. The specialist inspectorate provides the enforcement capability to hold organisations to both. When all three elements are in place, the regulatory environment is no longer aspirational. It is operational.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information on psychosocial compliance in Australian workplaces. It does not constitute legal advice. Organisations should consult qualified professionals for advice specific to their circumstances. Information cited is sourced from WorkSafe Victoria, Norton Rose Fulbright, and relevant legal analyses as of the date of publication.