Workplace fatigue is a state of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion that reduces a worker’s ability to perform safely and effectively. In Victoria, fatigue is now recognised as a psychosocial hazard under the new Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025, which came into effect on 1 December 2025. These regulations require employers to identify, assess, and control psychosocial hazards in the same manner as physical hazards.
So, how can organisations meet these obligations and create a safer, healthier workplace?
Discover Safety Champion Software, a comprehensive health and safety management platform designed to help businesses proactively manage risks.
Psychosocial Regulations: What is required?
The new Victorian regulations, and similar frameworks across Australia, make it clear: psychosocial hazards such as fatigue must be managed through higher-order controls, not just training or awareness campaigns. Employers are now legally required to:
- Identify psychosocial hazards such as excessive workloads, irregular shifts, and poor support systems.
- Eliminate or minimise risks by redesigning work systems, improving scheduling, and fostering supportive environments.
- Consult workers and review controls regularly to ensure effectiveness.
For more details, see the updated Occupational Health and Safety Psychological Health Regulations 2025.
How Safety Champion Software Supports Fatigue Prevention
Employers must now identify hazards, eliminate or minimise risks, and consult workers regularly. Safety Champion Software makes these requirements actionable through its integrated modules, enabling a seamless transition from reactive safety management to a proactive culture of safety.
1. Identify psychosocial hazards
Excessive workloads, irregular shifts, and poor support systems are common fatigue triggers. Safety Champion helps you uncover these risks through:
- Inspection Module: Use checklists to proactively identify potential fatigue risks before they lead to harm.
- Hazard Module: Log hazards as they arise for immediate visibility.
- Incident Module: Capture fatigue-related incidents when they occur.
2. Understand and minimise risks
Once hazards are identified, organisations must implement controls to reduce risk. Safety Champion’s Risk Module allows you to:
- Risk Module: Record and track risk assessments, providing a clear framework for managing and mitigating threats, protecting both your people and business operations.
- Data Analytics Module: Supports your decision-making process with real insights.
3. Consult with your people
Ongoing consultation is a legal requirement, but it is also a best practice when it comes to protecting and engaging with your people. Communicate effectively through:
- Communications: Foster a two-way conversation between workers and management. Provide clear information through diverse formats (video, questionnaires, documents, etc) and collect insights from your workers with ease.
- Documents: Share best practices, policies and procedures to keep everyone informed and make sure your people have in hand the resources they need.
4. Plan and monitor activities
Reviewing the effectiveness of your safety program is the most important thing a safety leader can do.
- Safety Plan: Schedule specific or recurring activities such as fatigue risk reviews and psychosocial hazard assessments.
- Reporting: monitor trends, track corrective actions, and demonstrate compliance with psychosocial regulations. Imagine having all your data centralised in one place.
Safety Champion transforms compliance into a practical and proactive process, helping organisations manage fatigue effectively and meet psychosocial safety obligations.
Discover our full suite of modules to enhance safety management:
Psychosocial Safety management beyond compliance
Certain hazards, such as fatigue, represent both a psychosocial hazard and an outcome of other hazards like high job demands or poor organisational support. Safety Champion’s integrated approach aligns with ISO 45003 standards and the new Victorian regulations by prioritising work design changes over superficial fixes. This means organisations should consider:
- Redesign rosters to allow adequate rest.
- Balance workloads to prevent chronic overtime.
- Improve communication and recognition systems to reduce stress.
- Understand systematic bottlenecks and other ‘upstream’ causes of fatigue.
- Design systems around other industry-specific requirements, such as transport and logistics (NHVR).
Implementing Safety Champion Software doesn’t just tick regulatory boxes, it creates a culture of care and accountability supporting businesses to:
- Reduce incidents and injuries linked to fatigue.
- Improve employee wellbeing and morale.
- Enhance productivity and retention through safer work practices.
- Demonstrate a commitment to wellbeing.
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.
Do you want to know more about Psychosocial Safety Management?
FAQs
Psychosocial hazards include factors like high job demands, poor support, bullying, harassment, and fatigue. Employers must identify and control these risks through. Learn more on Action OHS Consulting latest blog: New Psychosocial Regulations: A Guide for Businesses
It provides tools for hazard identification, incident reporting, communication, and monitoring, ensuring organisations meet legal duties under the new regulations.
No. While scheduling is important, fatigue management also involves improving job design, support systems, and organisational culture to address root causes. Need specialised advice? Book a free discovery call here.
