SafeWork has launched a dedicated Psychosocial Advisory Service to help NSW workers and employers address issues including bullying, harassment, work-related stress and mental harm. The service follows a sharp rise in psychosocial requests for assistance and recent compliance activity across more than 200 workplaces.
SafeWork received 3,145 psychosocial-related requests for service between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, representing 20.5% of all requests received. Psychosocial matters accounted for 10% of requests in 2021–22.
Developed with the Black Dog Institute, the new Psychosocial Advisory Service is intended to provide support and early intervention before workplace issues escalate into serious harm or formal regulatory action. Trained advisors can assist workers and employers dealing with bullying, harassment, work-related stress and mental harm.
The service can be accessed through SafeWork’s 13 10 50 hotline, online enquiries or the SpeakUp web-based interface. It includes trauma-trained advisors, psychosocial resources, referrals to external mental health services where appropriate, and triaging for severe or time-sensitive matters.
The launch follows SafeWork’s largest psychosocial compliance blitz. Inspectors visited more than 200 medium to large workplaces across industries with higher rates and severity of psychosocial harm and issued more than 80 improvement notices relating to psychosocial hazards and risk management.
The announcement also highlights WHS reforms that took effect in NSW on 1 July 2026. Relevant codes of practice are now legally binding, including the Managing psychosocial hazards at work code of practice, and businesses must comply with relevant codes or risk breaching the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
Official source: SafeWork NSW – News & Media Releases