The 6 Levels of the Hierarchy of Controls for Psychosocial Hazards — A Complete Guide for Australian Businesses (2026)
What is the hierarchy of controls for psychosocial hazards under Australian WHS law?
The hierarchy of controls for psychosocial hazards under Australian WHS law (WHS Regulations rr.55B–55C and Code of Practice 2024) has six levels from most to least effective: Level 1 Eliminate (remove the hazard source), Level 2 Substitute (replace with a less harmful alternative), Level 3 Isolate (separate people from the hazard), Level 4 Engineering Controls (redesign systems so the hazard cannot cause harm), Level 5 Administrative Controls (policies, SOPs, procedures and training, reduces exposure but does not remove the hazard), and Level 6 Personal Support (EAP and counselling, responds after harm has occurred). Businesses must apply the hierarchy in order, implement controls at the highest reasonably practicable level, and document their reasoning where higher-order controls were not implemented.
If you have ever put together a WHS policy, sent your team to a mental health awareness training, or made sure your EAP number is on the noticeboard, and thought that was your psychosocial hazard compliance covered, this post is for you.
Because here is the truth: all three of those things sit at Level 5 and Level 6 of the hierarchy of controls. The bottom two levels. The levels that manage the hazard, but do not prevent it.
The hierarchy of controls is not a suggestion. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and WHS Regulations rr.55B,55C, every Australian business is legally required to apply it when managing psychosocial hazards. That means starting at Level 1 and working down, and being able to document why you moved past a higher level if you did. Safe Work Australia's mental health guidance explains the framework in full, and Comcare's psychosocial hazard resources provide additional context on applying the hierarchy in practice.
This is the complete guide.
What Is the Hierarchy of Controls?
The hierarchy of controls is a ranked system for managing workplace hazards. It works on a simple principle: the higher up the hierarchy you go, the more effective the control, because it changes the hazard itself, rather than relying on human behaviour to manage it.
For psychosocial hazards specifically, the hierarchy is set out in WHS Regulations rr.55B–55C and reinforced throughout the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice 2024.
The six levels are:
Level | Control Type | Effect |
L1 | Eliminate | PREVENTS, removes the hazard entirely |
L2 | Substitute | PREVENTS, replaces the hazard with something less harmful |
L3 | Isolate | PREVENTS, separates people from the hazard |
L4 | Engineering Controls | PREVENTS, redesigns systems so the hazard cannot cause harm |
L5 | Administrative Controls | REDUCES EXPOSURE, policies, procedures, training |
L6 | Personal Support | REACTS AFTER HARM, EAP, counselling, individual support |
Levels 1–4 prevent harm. They change the work, the system or the environment. Level 5 reduces exposure. It manages how people interact with the hazard, but the hazard still exists. Level 6 responds after harm has occurred. It helps the individual, but does nothing to the hazard.
The most common compliance failure in Australia right now is jumping straight to Levels 5 and 6, writing a policy, running a training session, making EAP available, without genuinely addressing whether the hazard could have been eliminated or reduced at a higher level.
A WHS regulator inspecting your workplace will look for evidence that you worked through the hierarchy. Not just evidence that you have a policy.
Level 1, Elimination (Most Effective)
What it means: Remove the hazard completely from the workplace.
For psychosocial hazards, this means redesigning the work, the role, the system or the environment so the source of the hazard no longer exists. It does not mean removing the worker, it means removing the condition that creates the risk.
Real workplace examples:
A hospitality business experiencing chronic High Job Demands eliminates the hazard by permanently removing low-value admin tasks from kitchen staff roles and redistributing them to a dedicated coordinator position, the overload no longer exists in the role
A healthcare organisation eliminates unnecessary lone working for after-hours clinical staff by restructuring shifts so no worker operates in isolation
A construction company eliminates job insecurity for long-term contract workers by converting casual arrangements to ongoing employment where the work volume justifies it
When elimination is not reasonably practicable: You must document why. "It's too expensive" is not sufficient, you need to show you genuinely considered it and assessed whether the cost was proportionate to the risk.
Level 2, Substitution
What it means: Replace the hazard with something that creates less or no risk.
Real workplace examples:
An aged care provider substitutes a roster system that creates chronic fatigue (12-hour back-to-back shifts) with a rotating roster model that enforces minimum rest periods, the hazard is replaced with a safer system
A retail business substitutes individual performance targets that create Poor Organisational Justice with transparent, criteria-based team performance metrics, removing the source of perceived unfairness
A technology company substitutes always-on monitoring software (Intrusive Surveillance) with outcome-based performance measurement, the monitoring is replaced with a system that doesn't erode worker autonomy
Level 3, Isolation
What it means: Separate the source of harm from the worker, physically, temporally or procedurally.
For psychosocial hazards, isolation most commonly applies to conduct hazards (separating parties during an investigation) and exposure hazards (protecting workers from sources of violence, aggression or traumatic material).
Real workplace examples:
A disability support worker who has reported a bullying incident is physically separated from the alleged perpetrator via adjusted rosters and work locations while the investigation proceeds under SOP-20
A lone worker in a remote NDIS support role is isolated from the hazard of unmonitored isolation through a mandatory welfare check-in system, a named contact is required to hear from the worker at set intervals
A healthcare worker in a trauma-exposed role is isolated from continuous exposure through mandatory debrief rotations and caps on consecutive high-exposure shifts
Level 4, Engineering Controls
What it means: Redesign the system, the process, the tool or the physical environment so the hazard is designed out. Engineering controls work regardless of individual behaviour.
Real workplace examples:
A logistics company installs rostering software with built-in fatigue alerts and maximum hours enforcement, the system prevents unsafe roster patterns from being created, regardless of whether a manager notices
A construction site installs security infrastructure, sight lines and duress alarm systems in high-aggression risk areas, the environment is redesigned to reduce violence risk structurally
A community services organisation implements digital care planning with automated alerts for unmanaged case complexity, the cognitive overload hazard is engineered out of the individual worker's experience
Level 5, Administrative Controls
What it means: Rules, policies, procedures, training, supervision and consultation that manage how people interact with the hazard. The hazard still exists, these controls reduce the likelihood or severity of harm.
This is where your SafeWize SOPs sit.
Level 5 administrative controls include:
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each psychosocial hazard situation
Psychosocial Hazard Management Policy
Incident reporting and response procedures
Worker consultation processes
Manager training programs
Awareness training for all workers
This level is essential, but it is not enough on its own. The 37 SafeWize SOPs are Level 5 controls. They document what your organisation does when a hazard is identified or a situation arises. They constitute your compliance evidence. But they are near the bottom of the hierarchy, and a regulator expects to see evidence that you considered Levels 1–4 first.
Real workplace examples:
A food and hospitality business implements SOP-02 (Job Demands) and SOP-09 (Workload Management), establishing workload review meetings, prioritisation processes and a formal escalation pathway for overload concerns
A retail business implements SOP-01 (Workplace Behaviour Standards) and SOP-18 (Incident Reporting), establishing clear behavioural expectations and a safe, accessible reporting process
A professional services firm implements SOP-07 (Manager Wellbeing Check-In), requiring managers to conduct structured monthly check-ins with their direct reports
Level 6, Personal Support (Least Effective as a Primary Control)
What it means: Help a person cope with a hazard that still exists. This is the psychosocial equivalent of PPE, it protects the individual but does not touch the hazard.
Level 6 controls include:
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
Counselling and psychological support
Wellbeing programs
Resilience training
Peer support networks
EAP is valuable and must always be available. But on its own, as the primary or only control, it does not meet the legal standard. A business that responds to a psychosocial incident exclusively with an EAP referral has helped the individual while leaving the hazard entirely unaddressed.
Real workplace example:
An aged care worker experiencing severe compassion fatigue is referred to EAP (Level 6, appropriate as a support response). Simultaneously, the organisation reviews the worker's case exposure levels, implements a mandatory debrief rotation (Level 4, Engineering) and reviews staffing ratios to reduce the structural load (Level 1, Elimination consideration). The EAP referral treats the person. The higher-order controls address the hazard.
The Reasonably Practicable Test
You are not required to implement every level of the hierarchy for every hazard. You are required to implement controls at the highest reasonably practicable level, and document why you moved past any level you did not implement.
"Reasonably practicable" means: the risk reduction benefit is proportionate to the cost and difficulty of the control, weighted against the severity of the potential harm. The higher the risk, the more that is expected.
When documenting that a higher-order control was not reasonably practicable, record:
What the higher-order control would have been
Why it was not reasonably practicable, cost, technical feasibility, operational impact
What lower-order control was implemented instead
How the lower-order control will be monitored for effectiveness
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hierarchy of controls for psychosocial hazards?
The hierarchy of controls for psychosocial hazards is a six-level framework required under WHS Regulations rr.55B–55C. From most to least effective: Level 1 Eliminate (remove the hazard), Level 2 Substitute (replace with something safer), Level 3 Isolate (separate people from the hazard), Level 4 Engineering (redesign systems), Level 5 Administrative (policies, SOPs, training), and Level 6 Personal Support (EAP, counselling). Businesses must work through the hierarchy in order and document reasoning where higher levels were not implemented.
Do SOPs count as hierarchy of controls?
Yes, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are Level 5 Administrative controls under the hierarchy. They are essential and legally required but sit near the bottom of the hierarchy. A WHS regulator expects to see evidence that higher-order controls (Levels 1–4) were considered before relying primarily on SOPs and training.
What does "reasonably practicable" mean in WHS?
Under Australian WHS law, "reasonably practicable" means doing what can reasonably be done to eliminate or minimise risk, taking into account the likelihood and severity of harm, the availability of suitable controls, and the cost and difficulty of implementation. The higher the risk, the more that is required. It does not mean doing what is cheapest or most convenient.
How do I apply the hierarchy of controls to psychosocial hazards in my industry?
Start with your psychosocial hazard risk assessment, identify which hazards are present in your specific workplace and how serious they are. Then work through the hierarchy for each hazard, starting at Level 1. Document what controls you have implemented at each level and your reasoning where you moved past a level. The SafeWize Psychosocial Hazard Risk Assessment Kits include a hierarchy of controls column pre-filled for your industry.
Apply This to Your Industry
Every industry has a different psychosocial hazard profile. The controls that make sense for an aged care provider look very different from those that apply to a technology company or a construction site. The hierarchy is the same, the specific controls at each level are industry-specific.
Browse the SafeWize blog for industry-specific guides to applying the hierarchy of controls in your workplace:
Or start with the free SafeWize Psychosocial Hazard Audit, identify which hazards are most relevant to your workplace before you begin your formal assessment.
Take the free audit → Browse industry-specific risk assessment kits → Learn about SafeWize digital compliance kits →
SafeWize provides practical psychosocial hazard compliance tools for Australian small and medium businesses. This guide is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Always confirm requirements with your applicable state or territory WHS regulator.
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