Psychosocial hazards in Queensland
Queensland introduced psychosocial risk duties into the Work Health and Safety Regulation on 1 April 2023, alongside the Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice.
The one hard documentation requirement in Australia
Queensland has something no other jurisdiction does. Since 1 March 2025, employers must have a written Sexual Harassment Prevention Plan. The plan must:
- identify the risks to worker health and safety;
- set out control measures for each identified risk;
- set out the procedure for receiving, investigating and resolving reports;
- be developed in genuine consultation with workers;
- be written in plain, understandable language;
- be reviewed at least every three years, or sooner if a report of harassment is made.
Note the consultation requirement. You cannot write this plan from a template in isolation — you have to genuinely involve your workers in identifying the risks it addresses.
Risk assessment more broadly
The Queensland code says a risk assessment should be carried out for identified psychosocial hazards where the risk or the accepted control measures are not well known. Where the risks are well understood and you know how to control them, you can implement controls without a formal assessment.
Consultation, however, is not optional. Under the WHS Act you must consult workers when identifying hazards and assessing risks.
How PulseBench HQ fits
An anonymous survey is a practical way to run the consultation step at scale — particularly for sexual and gender-based harassment, where workers are considerably more likely to disclose anonymously than in a meeting. You get a record of what you asked, when you asked it, and what came back, which is exactly the input a prevention plan needs.
See how psychosocial risk assessment works · Try the free team health check
Other states: Victoria · New South Wales
This page is general information, not legal advice. Check WorkSafe Queensland for the current position.