Intro: Organisations around the world have responded to evolving challenges managing mental health at work, including varied regulations and guidance (such as ISO45003) that have resulted in increasing administrative burden, without effectively identifying real sources of harm to employees.
Purpose: This presentation introduces an evidence-based framework that defines psychosocial hazards as independent causes of psychological harm, clarifies the distinction between hazards and control failures, and provides a simplified approach for organisations to manage psychosocial risk,
Method: We synthesised peer‑reviewed research, regulatory guidance, and real-world application to develop a new framework for psychosocial hazards. The framework is comprised of hazard groups that cascade to context specific triggers that connect causal pathways from work design and environment to potential harm and control selection. We present its application across the globe in three different geographic contexts (Australia, Canada, UK) to demonstrate its application worldwide.
Results: Applying the framework reduces duplication and misclassification of psychosocial hazards on risk registers, improves organisation's ability to identify causal factors, and supports organisations to monitor psychosocial risk. The approach strengthens oversight for boards and executives and takes a materiality-based approach to managing psychosocial risks.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a globally applicable framework for psychosocial risk manager can address the limitations of current approaches, which often conflate hazards with control failures and are increasingly challenging for organisations to manage. By defining psychosocial hazards as independent causes of psychological harm, the framework supports organisations to achieve greater clarity, consistency, and comparability in risk identification and management. This approach not only reduces duplication and misclassification on risk registers but also supports implementation of tailored controls to more effectively reduce risk.