Three things to understand before reading further
- 1.COPSOQ III is the direct replacement for People at Work — not K10, not PSC-12.
- 2.K10 measures individual psychological distress. It covers zero of the 17 SWA psychosocial hazard categories. It is not a hazard identification instrument.
- 3.The realistic transition window is 8–15 weeks: platform onboarding, cohort configuration, survey deployment, results, and intervention planning. June or July is the right time to start.
The planning problem
People at Work closes on 2 October 2026. That is the end-date. The start-date — the date by which you need to have a replacement in place and running — is earlier than most organisations have calculated.
Here is the arithmetic: selecting a platform takes 2–4 weeks. Internal procurement and IT review takes 2–3 weeks. Platform onboarding and cohort configuration takes 1–2 weeks. Survey deployment, response window, and results processing takes 2–4 weeks. Intervention planning takes 1–2 weeks.
Total: 8–15 weeks. From today (June 2026), that lands you between mid-August and early October. If you want the results and program plan in hand before the 2 October hard stop, you need to have selected your platform by the end of June.
The organisations that will scramble in September are the ones reading this in August.
What People at Work was
People at Work was a psychosocial risk assessment tool developed by WorkSafe Queensland in partnership with the Commonwealth, Safe Work Australia, and the state and territory WHS regulators. It was the only government-validated psychosocial survey available to Australian employers, and its free availability made it the default choice for many WHS teams.
After 2 October 2026, the PAW portal will be decommissioned. Access ends. Data export should be completed before that date — WorkSafe Queensland has not confirmed whether historical data will remain accessible after shutdown.
Which instrument replaces it?
The short answer: COPSOQ III. Here is the longer answer — the one that explains why K10 and PSC-12, despite appearing in most "PAW alternatives" roundups, are not replacements for a hazard identification instrument:
| Criterion | COPSOQ III | K10 | PSC-12 | Custom survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Psychosocial hazards in the work environment | Individual psychological distress | Psychosocial safety climate (management commitment) | Depends on design — usually unvalidated |
| SWA hazard categories covered | 14–15 of 17 | 0 of 17 | 2–3 of 17 | Unknown |
| Is it a hazard identification tool? | ✓ Yes | ✗ No — clinical outcome tool | ~ Partially — climate only | Unknown |
| ANZ benchmark available | ✓ Rahimi et al. (2025), 8,000+ workers, 13 sectors | ~ Clinical reference ranges only | ✗ No ANZ norms | ✗ None |
| ISO 45003 alignment | ✓ Full | ✗ Not applicable | ~ Partial | Unknown |
| Replaces PAW? | ✓ Yes — direct replacement | ✗ No | ✗ No — supplementary only | ✗ Only if validated |
Why K10 is not a replacement for PAW
This one keeps coming up, so it is worth being direct about it.
The K10 is a 10-item psychological distress screener used in clinical settings to assess whether an individual is likely to have a significant mental health condition. It was developed for the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative. It is widely used in Australian GP clinics and Medicare-funded mental health assessments.
Here is the analogy: using K10 to satisfy your psychosocial risk obligation is like using a blood pressure cuff to satisfy your noise obligation. Blood pressure measures a physiological outcome. Noise monitoring measures an exposure hazard. The obligation is to measure and control the hazard, not to screen for the outcome it causes.
K10 measures psychological distress — an individual clinical outcome. It does not measure Role Clarity, Work Pace, Quality of Leadership, Emotional Demands, or any other occupational hazard condition named in the SWA Code of Practice. It covers zero of the 17 SWA psychosocial hazard categories.
A regulator who audits your psychosocial risk program and finds only K10 data will ask where your hazard identification is. K10 is not an answer to that question.
Transition checklist — 8–15 weeks
The six steps, with realistic timeframes for each:
Evaluate platforms and confirm instrument suitability
Confirm the instrument covers the 17 SWA hazard categories, has ANZ benchmarks, and supports your anonymity requirements. Book demos. Check data residency (Australian server required for most enterprise procurement).
Internal procurement and IT review
Submit for information security review. Confirm data processing agreement. Get WHS team sign-off on instrument selection. Allow more time if your organisation has a formal vendor approval process.
Platform onboarding and cohort configuration
Set up your organisational structure, workforce cohorts, and anonymity thresholds. Default minimum: 7 respondents before group scores are released. Configure email/SMS delivery. Test with a small pilot cohort.
First survey deployment and response window
Deploy to your first cohort. Allow 2–3 weeks for responses. Send reminder at day 7. Close the window. Results are generated once the anonymity threshold is met.
Results review and intervention planning
Review group scores against Rahimi et al. (2025) Australian benchmarks. Identify unfavourable domains. Generate intervention program from results. Involve worker representatives in reviewing findings and controls (ISO 45003 requirement).
Board sign-off and program documentation
Generate population health report for board review. Document the intervention program and controls. Export records for due diligence. Set the cadence for the next COPSOQ III cycle (12 months) and the interim PSC-12 pulse (6 months).
PAW vs COPSOQ III — the key differences
| Feature | People at Work (PAW) | COPSOQ III |
|---|---|---|
| Validation | Australian government-validated | Internationally validated, 40+ countries |
| Australian benchmarks | Queensland reference population | Rahimi et al. (2025) — national, 8,000+ workers, 13 sectors |
| ISO 45003 alignment | Partial | Full — structured around ISO 45003 program lifecycle |
| Survey delivery | Online portal | Email + SMS, configurable anonymity thresholds |
| Intervention workflow | Risk identification only | Survey → score → benchmark → intervention → ROI |
| Availability after Oct 2026 | ✗ Decommissioned | ✓ Available |
How OccuSpan deploys COPSOQ III
OccuSpan deploys COPSOQ III as part of a full psychosocial risk management workflow — not just a survey tool. The six-step program:
Survey deployment
COPSOQ III delivered by email or SMS to your workforce. Configurable anonymity thresholds (default: minimum 7 respondents before group scores are released). Individual responses never visible to line managers.
Anonymised group scoring
Responses aggregated at team, site, or organisational level. Suppression rules enforced at the database layer — not a UI toggle.
Australian benchmark comparison
Group scores benchmarked against Rahimi et al. (2025) Australian norms. See where your workforce sits relative to your industry sector.
MIA intervention recommendations
The OccuSpan MIA engine maps your group scores to evidence-based interventions — ranked by risk priority. Training programs, process redesign, EAP referral, leadership development.
Program plan & ROI modelling
Auto-generate an ISO 45003-aligned intervention program plan. Project the ROI from each intervention. Export for board reporting or regulator submissions.
Longitudinal tracking
Re-deploy at 6 or 12-month intervals. Track psychosocial risk trends and demonstrate continuous improvement for due diligence.
Frequently asked questions
Can we keep our historical PAW data after decommission?
WorkSafe Queensland has not confirmed whether historical PAW data will be exportable after decommission. Download any reports and raw data from the PAW portal before 2 October 2026 as a precaution.
Do we need to re-baseline our psychosocial risk scores when we switch?
Yes. PAW and COPSOQ III use different scales and benchmark references. Your first COPSOQ III survey establishes a new baseline. The Rahimi et al. (2025) Australian benchmarks mean you can immediately contextualise that baseline against the national workforce.
Is COPSOQ III free to use?
The COPSOQ III instrument is open-access. Deploying it at enterprise scale — with anonymised group scoring, Australian benchmarking, intervention recommendations, and program plan outputs — requires a platform like OccuSpan.
Does switching to COPSOQ III affect our ISO 45003 compliance?
No — COPSOQ III is better aligned with ISO 45003 than PAW. ISO 45003 requires a systematic psychosocial risk assessment process, not a specific instrument. COPSOQ III, deployed through an end-to-end platform that includes intervention planning and longitudinal tracking, strengthens your ISO 45003 program.