The rules on the psychosocial working environment (psykisk arbejdsmiljø) are in the executive order on the psychosocial working environment ("bekendtgørelse om psykisk arbejdsmiljø", BEK no. 605 of 29 June 2026). It entered into force on 1 July 2026 and replaced executive order no. 1406 of 26 September 2020. Always check the Working Environment Authority's (Arbejdstilsynet's) latest guidance, because this area is still developing.
The main rule
The work must be planned, organised and carried out so that the psychosocial working environment is fully safe and healthy, both in the short and the long term (§ 5). By psychological influences the rules mean psychosocial influences from (§ 7):
- how the work is planned and organised
- organisational conditions
- the content and demands of the work
- the way the work is carried out
- social relations
Five factors named separately
- Heavy workload and time pressure (§§ 13-15): an imbalance between tasks and time, so that people work intensively without breaks to recover, or for many hours.
- Unclear and conflicting demands (§§ 16-18): demands that are not clear or cannot be reconciled, for example about tasks, responsibilities or roles.
- High emotional demands in work with people (§§ 19-21): contact with citizens or customers that requires you to contain or handle other people's feelings.
- Offensive behaviour (§§ 22-24): someone grossly or repeatedly subjecting others to bullying, sexual harassment or other degrading behaviour. Ordinary management and feedback between colleagues are not in themselves offensive.
- Work-related violence (§§ 25-34): violence from people outside the company, for example customers. It covers physical violence, threats and robbery, and also violence outside working hours if it is connected with the work.
How is the risk assessed?
For the first three factors and for offensive behaviour, the assessment looks above all at the extent (including how long), the nature and the preventive measures in place. Other influences can make the risk greater. So it is not enough to ask "is it busy?". You have to ask how busy, for how long and what is being done about it.
Preventive measures (appendix 1)
The executive order gives examples:
- sound planning and organisation of the work
- sufficient training and instruction
- effective supervision of how the work is carried out
- a sound layout of the workplace
- suitable technical aids
- support in the work, from management and colleagues
- influence over the work to be done
Preventing violence
- The workplace must be arranged so that employees can get to safety in the event of violent incidents (§ 28).
- If work alone involves a particular risk of violence, it must be organised so that the risk is countered. Otherwise the employee must not work alone (§ 29).
- Only instructed employees may have access to areas with a particular risk of violence (§ 30).
- After violence outside working hours, the employer must have guidelines and offer help with reporting to the police (§§ 33-34).
Your role
You can use the rules in the APV, at the annual discussion and in everyday work. Ask about concrete conditions: workload, unclear roles, conflicts. If the company does not have the necessary knowledge, the employer must obtain external expert assistance (§ 9).
Important to know
Breaches of several of the provisions can be punished by a fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years (§ 36). In certain cases the employer can be liable to a fine even if the breach was neither intentional nor negligent.