Corporate & organisational · Malta
Psychosocial risk assessment for OHSA compliance
A structured psychosocial risk assessment support process for Maltese employers — designed for inclusion within your wider occupational health and safety risk assessment file. The practice helps you identify, assess, and manage the psychological conditions of work, meeting your legal duty while genuinely protecting your people.
On this page
Overview
A legal duty, not an optional extra
Since 26 November 2024, workplace health and safety in Malta is governed by the Health and Safety at Work Act (Chapter 646 of the Laws of Malta, Act XXXIII of 2024), which replaced the Occupational Health and Safety Authority Act (Cap. 424). Critically, the new Act places mental health on the same footing as physical safety — making the assessment and management of psychosocial risk an explicit employer duty, enforced by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA).
This gives effect to the EU Framework Directive 89/391/EEC, which obliges employers to assess and prevent all work-related risks — including work-related stress, workplace bullying and harassment, and violence at work. Psychosocial hazards such as excessive workload, poor job control, weak management support, and poorly managed organisational change are recognised occupational risks that must be assessed and controlled.
This service provides an independent, evidence-based psychosocial risk assessment, structured so its findings slot directly into your existing risk assessment file. The aim is never box-ticking: it is a workplace that is measurably safer and more sustainable for the people in it, with documentation that stands up to scrutiny.
Regulatory framework
The law this service answers to
The assessment is built around the instruments Maltese employers are actually measured against — the specific Acts, directives, and standards that define the duty:
- Health and Safety at Work Act Cap. 646 · Act XXXIII of 2024
Malta's principal occupational health and safety law since 26 November 2024. It explicitly extends to mental health and introduces the Health and Safety Reporting Officer (HSRO) and a Health and Safety Tribunal.
- EU Framework Directive 89/391/EEC
The European OSH “Framework Directive” — obliges employers to assess and prevent all occupational risks at source, a duty the European Commission confirms applies equally to psychosocial risk and mental health.
- EU framework agreements Stress 2004 · Harassment & violence 2007
Social-partner agreements that clarify how the Framework Directive applies to work-related stress, workplace bullying, and violence at work.
- ISO 45003 2021
The international standard for managing psychosocial risk within an occupational health & safety management system — the methodological backbone of the assessment.
The process
How an engagement works
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Scoping & documentation review
A review of your existing documentation alongside an initial meeting — confirming the reason for the request, the scope and staff groups involved, any known psychosocial concerns and existing controls, and how the findings will be structured for your risk assessment file.
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One-to-one staff meetings & questionnaire
Confidential individual meetings held on site, supported by a psychosocial risk questionnaire, to identify hazards, assess risks to mental and psychological health, consider the persons at risk, and review existing organisational controls across every level of the organisation.
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Mid-process consultation
A working meeting with your designated contact to discuss emerging themes and agree realistic improvements that can begin before the report is finalised — ensuring recommendations are practical, relevant, and capable of being actioned.
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Report of findings
A written report prepared to strengthen your psychosocial risk assessment documentation: hazards identified, worker groups at risk, consultation themes, controls reviewed, key gaps, and a prioritised set of practical recommendations.
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Ongoing annual review & monitoring
Psychosocial risk must be reviewed and updated periodically. An annual cycle keeps your documentation current, tracks the effectiveness of measures taken, and keeps your obligations — and your people — on a sound footing.
What we assess
A recognised psychosocial risk structure
For clarity and compliance, the assessment is organised under the headings used in formal risk assessment — so findings map cleanly onto your file:
- Psychosocial hazards to be assessed
- Persons at risk
- Risk to mental and psychological health
- Risk evaluation, including residual risk
- Existing control measures
- Additional actions required
- Review and monitoring requirements
Within this structure, the process explicitly addresses the key psychosocial risk areas:
Before we begin
What to prepare
To get the most from the engagement, the following are helpful to gather beforehand where available. Nothing here is a barrier to starting — we work with what exists.
- Organisational structure / organigram
- Departments, teams & staff in scope
- Job descriptions or role outlines
- Existing health & safety policy and risk assessments
- Wellbeing, dignity-at-work & grievance procedures
- Working arrangements — shifts, workload, remote, lone working
- Vulnerable staff groups or higher-risk roles
- Absenteeism, turnover & grievance data, where available
- Recent or planned organisational changes
- Reporting lines & supervisory arrangements
- Workers' H&S Representative & consultation arrangements
- Any known higher-risk or client-facing duties
What you receive
A report built for your risk assessment file
Following the documentation review, staff meetings, questionnaire, and mid-process consultation, you receive a written report of findings to support proportionate, prioritised follow-up action. It sets out:
- An overview of the scope and process undertaken
- A summary of the main psychosocial hazards identified
- Worker groups at greater exposure or vulnerability
- Key themes from staff consultation and questionnaire findings
- A review of the main organisational controls and procedures
- Identification of key gaps, concerns, or recurring issues
- Practical recommendations for preventive & organisational measures
- A prioritised list of realistic actions for follow-up
Staying compliant
Ongoing annual review & monitoring
Sample-based staff review
Review meetings with a sample of staff across departments and levels, plus new employees within their first year.
Organisation-wide questionnaire
Dissemination, analysis, and a summary of the psychosocial risk questionnaire across the whole organisation.
Action-planning review
A compliance and action-planning meeting to confirm priority organisational actions for the year ahead.
Annual review summary
An updated summary document tracking progress, actions taken, outstanding concerns, and next-year priorities.
The annual review assesses progress made, identifies new or recurring risks, tests the effectiveness of existing measures, and confirms priorities such as training, staffing, scheduling, communication, and management support.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is psychosocial risk assessment a legal requirement in Malta?
Yes. Under Malta's occupational health and safety framework and the EU framework directive, employers must identify and manage risks to workers' psychological health, not only their physical safety. This service is designed to support that duty.
How does it fit my existing risk assessment file?
The process is deliberately structured so its findings slot directly into your wider occupational health and safety documentation, organised under recognised psychosocial risk headings rather than sitting apart from it.
Who needs to be involved?
A designated contact person to coordinate, and staff across roles and levels for confidential one-to-one meetings and the questionnaire. The engagement is scoped to your organisation's size and circumstances.
Is the process confidential?
Yes. Individual meetings and questionnaire responses are treated in strict confidence. The report presents themes and findings to inform action — not attributable individual disclosures.
How often should it be repeated?
Psychosocial risk assessment should be reviewed periodically. An annual cycle is recommended to keep documentation current and to capture new or recurring risks as the organisation changes.
How long does an engagement take?
It depends on the number of staff and departments in scope. A realistic timeline is agreed during the scoping stage, before any on-site work begins.
Ready to strengthen your psychosocial risk assessment?
Share your intended timeline and staff availability, and I'll prepare the terms of agreement, including scope, staged arrangements, and confidentiality provisions.