Psychosocial Risks: Frequently Asked Questions

Business leaders are asking numerous questions regarding their new responsibilities to reduce the psychosocial risks for their workers.

Our experts answered the most frequently asked questions regarding the new requirements introduced under Law 27.

What is Law 27?

In 2021, the Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety was updated to reflect scientific advances that confirm the importance of workplace management best practices. Research has demonstrated that the absence of such best practices can have significant impacts on the health of workers (cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, for example).

From now on, organizations must include psychosocial risk factors in their action plan and risk prevention process.

Law 27: What obligations do employers have?

Since October 6, 2025, all Québec employers must include psychosocial risks in their occupational health and safety prevention plans. This requirement is due to Law 27, which modernizes Québec's occupational health and safety system. In particular, employers must:

• Put in place a prevention program and an action plan that include risk identification, control measures and a follow-up process.
• Form a health and safety committee for organizations with 20 or more workers made up of equal numbers of employees and employer representatives.
• Provide adequate training on risk prevention.

What are the main psychosocial risks in the workplace?

There are various classifications of psychosocial risk factors. The main psychosocial risks identified include:

• Harassment in the workplace;
• Lack of decision-making autonomy;
• Work overload;
• Lack of organizational fairness;
• Lack of recognition in the workplace;
• Lack of social support for employees.

Consult the risks established by the CNESST, as well as those identified by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, supported by several studies.

How can you evaluate psychosocial risks in the workplace?

It's recommended that you begin by carrying out a health and safety prevention diagnosis. This process highlights your organization's strengths and weaknesses so you can identify risk and take action. For more information, read our article on the topic.

What are the warning signs of psychosocial risks?

You must be aware of the psychological health of your employees. If you spot an increase in certain signs such as irritability, social isolation, a high level of absenteeism and presenteeism or interpersonal conflicts among your employees, it is time for your organization to conduct a situational analysis in order to identify effective corrective measures for the well-being of workers.

How can you address psychosocial risks in the workplace?

Since each organization has its own specific challenges, there is no quick fix. However, an effective approach to countering the effects of psychosocial risk factors is based on the following four steps:

• data collection (interviews, employee surveys);
• identifying solutions to counteract the harmful effects;
• logistics for implementing the solutions chosen based on the problems and reality of the company;
• follow-up report to assess the impact of the chosen solutions on the effects of risk factors.

What are the benefits of an effective psychosocial risks management process?

Taking action to prevent and reduce psychosocial risks can allow you to:

• Improve the health and wellbeing of your teams;
• Optimize activities and productivity;
• Achieve financial savings, particularly by reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, which represent direct and indirect costs for the company;
• Ensure compliance with legal requirements relating to occupational health and safety (law 27).