# Psychosocial Risk Assessment: [Organisation, site or team]

> An assessment of psychosocial hazards at work (how work is organised,
> social factors, and the work environment, equipment and hazardous
> tasks), with worker consultation, a risk rating, controls chosen in
> hierarchy order, an action plan and a review cycle. Structure aligned
> with ISO 45003:2021, *Occupational health and safety management,
> Psychological health and safety at work, Guidelines for managing
> psychosocial risks*, used within an ISO 45001 management system, and
> with the UK HSE Management Standards as a public reference. Replace
> every `[bracketed]` value and every row marked *Example*. This is a
> documentation format, not legal, medical or clinical advice.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Assess the work, not the people. A psychosocial risk assessment looks
  at workload, roles, relationships, change and similar conditions. It
  is not a screening of individuals' mental health, and it must not
  collect diagnoses.
- Involve workers and their representatives at every step: hazard
  identification, rating, controls and review. Survey data alone is
  not consultation.
- Use the same risk criteria as the main hazard register
  (`compliance/iso-45001-hazard-register`) so psychosocial risks are
  ranked with physical ones.
- Report survey results only for groups of at least [10] people so no
  one can be identified.
- People in distress need support now, not after the assessment: list
  the support routes in section 8.
- The examples describe the Leeds office and lab of Quillfen Devices
  Ltd, a fictional company.
- Related templates: OH&S Hazard and Risk Register
  (`compliance/iso-45001-hazard-register`), Corrective Action
  (`compliance/capa-nonconformity`), Disciplinary and Grievance
  Procedure (`hr/disciplinary-grievance-procedure`), Whistleblowing
  Policy (`compliance/whistleblowing-policy`).
-->

## Contents

1. Scope, method and sources
2. Worker participation
3. Hazard checklist
4. Risk criteria
5. Risk register
6. Controls by hierarchy
7. Action plan
8. Support routes
9. Monitoring and review
10. Legal pointers (dated examples, October 2026)
11. References
12. Standard and licence note

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: The assessment is documented information in the OH&S management system. Record who was consulted and when. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [OHS-PSR-003] |
| Version | [1.0] |
| Status | [Draft / In review / Approved] |
| Owner | [OH&S manager or Head of People, @name] |
| Approvers | [Site director, worker representative] |
| Scope | [Sites, teams, roles, shifts, remote workers] |
| Assessment period | YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD |
| Worker consultation | [Committee meeting IDs, focus groups, survey dates] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Next review | YYYY-MM-DD (annual, and after major change or incidents) |
| Classification | [Internal] |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 *(Example)* | 2026-10-26 | [@ohs-manager] | First assessment after the 2026 workload survey |
| [1.1] | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | [Review after reorganisation] |

## 1. Scope, method and sources

<!-- Guidance: Say which groups are covered and which evidence you used. Questions to answer: are remote, night-shift, agency and contractor workers included? -->

Evidence used (tick each):

- [ ] Worker survey, for example the HSE Management Standards
      Indicator Tool or an equivalent validated questionnaire
- [ ] Focus groups or structured discussions by team
- [ ] Sickness absence and turnover data (aggregated)
- [ ] Exit interview themes (`hr/exit-interview`)
- [ ] Grievances, harassment reports and whistleblowing trends
      (aggregated, no names)
- [ ] Workload, overtime and on-call data
- [ ] Incidents involving violence or aggression
- [ ] Planned changes to the organisation, systems or roles

*Example:* 64 of 80 staff answered the October 2026 survey, a response
rate of 80%; four focus groups were held, one per team.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A["Consult workers and gather evidence"] --> B["Identify psychosocial hazards"]
  B --> C["Rate risk with existing controls"]
  C --> D["Choose controls by hierarchy"]
  D --> E["Agree actions with workers"]
  E --> F["Implement and monitor"]
  F --> G["Review and update"]
  G --> A
```

## 2. Worker participation

<!-- Guidance: ISO 45001 clause 5.4 and the leadership and participation guidance in ISO 45003 expect consultation and participation of non-managerial workers. Record what was asked and what changed because of it. -->

| Activity | Who took part | Date | What changed as a result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey *(Example)* | All staff, anonymous | 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-16 | Workload added as top priority |
| Focus group, support team *(Example)* | 7 engineers and a union representative | 2026-10-20 | Customer aggression hazard added |
| Safety committee review *(Example)* | Committee incl. worker representatives | 2026-10-26 | Controls for PSR-03 agreed |
| [Activity] | [Participants] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Change] |

## 3. Hazard checklist

<!-- Guidance: ISO 45003 groups psychosocial hazards under three headings. The prompts below are this template's own wording; use them to make sure no area is skipped. -->

**How work is organised**

- [ ] Roles and responsibilities: unclear, conflicting or changing
- [ ] Job demands: workload, pace, deadlines, emotional demands
- [ ] Job control: say in how and when work is done
- [ ] Working hours: long hours, shifts, on-call, always reachable
- [ ] Change management: reorganisations, new systems, job insecurity
- [ ] Remote and isolated work

**Social factors**

- [ ] Relationships: conflict, poor communication
- [ ] Leadership: unclear direction, lack of manager support
- [ ] Recognition and reward
- [ ] Bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence, including
      from customers or the public
- [ ] Work-life balance and career development

**Work environment, equipment and hazardous tasks**

- [ ] Poor equipment, noise, heat or space that adds strain
- [ ] Hazardous or high-consequence tasks that create stress
- [ ] Exposure to traumatic events

The UK HSE Management Standards cover six related areas: demands,
control, support, relationships, role and change.

## 4. Risk criteria

<!-- Guidance: Use your organisation's documented criteria. The scale below is this template's own and is not taken from ISO 45003. -->

Risk score = likelihood (1 to 4) x consequence (1 to 4).

| Score | Level | Response |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Low | Monitor; keep existing controls |
| 5 to 8 | Medium | Plan controls within [3 months] |
| 9 to 16 | High | Act now; senior management owns the action |

## 5. Risk register

<!-- Guidance: Describe the hazard as a work condition and say who is affected and how. Rate current risk with existing controls, then residual risk after planned controls. -->

| ID | Group | Hazard and who is affected | Existing controls | L | C | Score | Level | Planned controls | Residual L | Residual C | Residual score | Residual level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSR-01 *(Example)* | Work organisation | Release-week workload peaks for firmware team; overtime above 10 hours a week | Overtime approval | 3 | 3 | 9 | High | Release capacity plan, freeze on new requests in release week, time off in lieu | 2 | 3 | 6 | Medium |
| PSR-02 *(Example)* | Social factors | Isolation of fully remote staff | Monthly team call | 2 | 2 | 4 | Low | Keep; add quarterly in-person day | 2 | 2 | 4 | Low |
| PSR-03 *(Example)* | Social factors | Abusive customer calls to support engineers | Call recording | 3 | 4 | 12 | High | Policy to end abusive calls, escalation to team lead, debrief after incidents, rotation off phones | 2 | 4 | 8 | Medium |
| PSR-04 *(Example)* | Work organisation | Unclear roles after the 2026 reorganisation | New org chart | 3 | 2 | 6 | Medium | Role descriptions agreed with each person, responsibility matrix | 2 | 2 | 4 | Low |
| PSR-05 *(Example)* | Work environment | Lone working in the test lab at night | Sign-in sheet | 2 | 3 | 6 | Medium | Lone-worker check-in app, no hazardous tests when alone | 1 | 3 | 3 | Low |
| [PSR-NN] | [Group] | [Hazard, who, how] | [Controls] | [1-4] | [1-4] | [L x C] | [Level] | [Controls] | [1-4] | [1-4] | [L x C] | [Level] |

## 6. Controls by hierarchy

<!-- Guidance: ISO 45001 clause 8.1.2 sets the hierarchy of controls; ISO 45003 applies it to psychosocial risk. Prefer changes to the work itself over training or individual support. -->

| Level | Psychosocial example |
|---|---|
| Eliminate the hazard | Remove an unnecessary out-of-hours reporting duty |
| Substitute | Replace an open-ended on-call rota with a staffed rota and set response times |
| Engineering controls and reorganising work | Rebalance workload, set realistic deadlines, clarify roles, provide better tools, quiet spaces and lone-worker alarms |
| Administrative controls, including training | Policies on working hours, disconnection, call handling and change consultation; manager training on workload conversations |
| Complementary individual support | Employee assistance programme, occupational health referral (supports people, does not reduce the hazard; it takes the place of the personal protective equipment level in the ISO 45001 list, which has no direct psychosocial equivalent) |

## 7. Action plan

<!-- Guidance: Every High and Medium risk needs an action with an owner and date. Agree the actions with workers and report progress to them. -->

| Action ID | Risk | Action | Owner | Due | Status | Evidence of effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT-01 *(Example)* | PSR-01 | Release capacity plan with no new requests in release week | [@engineering-manager] | 2026-12-15 | Open | Overtime hours per release week |
| ACT-02 *(Example)* | PSR-03 | Abusive call policy and escalation route published and trained | [@support-lead] | 2026-11-30 | Open | Incident debriefs held, repeat survey item |
| ACT-03 *(Example)* | PSR-04 | Responsibility matrix agreed for each team | [@head-of-people] | 2027-01-31 | Open | Role clarity survey item |
| ACT-04 *(Example)* | PSR-05 | Lone-worker check-in app in the test lab; hazardous tests booked only when two people are present | [@lab-manager] | 2026-12-31 | Open | Check-ins logged on every night shift, no lone hazardous tests |
| [ACT-NN] | [Risk] | [Action] | [@owner] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Status] | [Measure] |

## 8. Support routes

<!-- Guidance: Make support visible now, independent of the assessment timeline. Do not record who used support. -->

- Line manager or People team: [contact]
- Employee assistance programme: [provider, phone, hours]
- Occupational health: [referral route]
- Mental health first aiders or wellbeing contacts: [names or list]
- Grievance and harassment reporting: `hr/disciplinary-grievance-procedure`
- Whistleblowing: `compliance/whistleblowing-policy`
- In an emergency: [local emergency number]

## 9. Monitoring and review

<!-- Guidance: Measure whether controls work, not only whether actions closed. Review after reorganisations, serious incidents or a jump in absence. -->

| Indicator | Target | Frequency | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| High risks with an agreed action | [100%] | Monthly | Section 7 |
| Survey response rate | [At least 70%] | Annually | Survey |
| Overtime hours per person in release weeks | [Down from baseline] | Per release | Timesheets |
| Work-related stress absence (aggregated) | [Down from baseline] | Quarterly | HR system |
| Actions reported back to workers | [Every quarter] | Quarterly | Committee minutes |

## 10. Legal pointers (dated examples, October 2026)

<!-- Guidance: Examples only, not legal advice. Check the current official text and a qualified professional where you operate. -->

| Jurisdiction | Pointer | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| EU | EU-OSHA describes managing psychosocial risks as part of the employer's risk assessment duty under the OSH Framework Directive 89/391/EEC. The Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026 to 2028 focuses on mental health at work. | https://osha.europa.eu/en/themes/psychosocial-risks-and-mental-health |
| UK | Employers must assess risks, including from work-related stress, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (regulation 3); HSE's Management Standards are its guidance approach. | https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/index.htm |
| US | No specific federal OSHA standard on psychosocial hazards as of October 2026; the general duty clause (section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act) and state rules may apply to recognised hazards such as workplace violence. | https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/section_5 |

## 11. References

<!-- Guidance: List the editions you used. Paid standards are cited, not copied. -->

| Reference | Edition | Use here |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 45003, *Psychological health and safety at work, Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks* | 2021 (first edition) | Three hazard groups, participation, hierarchy applied to psychosocial risk |
| ISO 45001, *Occupational health and safety management systems* | 2018 with Amd 1:2024 (under revision in 2026) | Clauses 5.4 (consultation and participation), 6.1.2 (hazard identification), 8.1.2 (hierarchy of controls) |
| HSE Management Standards | Web guidance, updated 2025-01-13 | Six areas and the five-step process |

## Standard and licence note

Structure aligned with ISO 45003:2021 and ISO 45001:2018 with Amd
1:2024, cited by name, edition and clause number only. The hazard
prompts, risk scale and examples are original wording written for this
collection and reproduce no text from the standards. Public references:
HSE Management Standards and EU-OSHA, checked on 2026-10-30.
Organisations and figures are fictional. Not legal, medical or clinical
advice: check the current editions, the law where you operate and a
qualified professional.

Official text: ISO, purchase or licensed access:
https://www.iso.org/standard/64283.html (ISO 45003) and
https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html (ISO 45001), also available
from national standards bodies.

Template licence: MIT.