October carries particular significance for Australian workers and workplaces, marking both National Safe Work Month and World Mental Health Month. For employers, this focus has been reinforced through consequential amendments to seven Queensland WHS Codes of Practice, which came into effect on 1 September 2026, following amendments to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (WHS Regulation).
Which of Queensland's WHS Codes of Practice have been amended?
The following Codes of Practice have been amended:
- Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work Code of Practice 2021 (Preventing hearing loss at work code);
- Managing risks of plant in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 (Risks of plant code);
- Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022 (Risk of psychosocial hazards code);
- Safe design of structures Code of Practice 2021 (Safe design of structures code);
- How to manage work health and safety risks Code of Practice 2021 (Managing WHS risks code);
- Confined spaces Code of Practice 2021 (Confined spaces code); and
- Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021 (Work environment and facilities code).
The amendments aim to provide guidance on how existing obligations and duties should be understood and applied in practice, and to strengthen the alignment between Queensland's safety framework and evolving expectations regarding the management of psychosocial hazards such as workplace stress, bullying and sexual harassment.
The updated Codes of Practice reflect the obligation on employers to take proactive steps to identify, assess and control psychosocial risks as part of their broader work health and safety obligations.
Updated Codes of Practice: What they mean for your Business
Below, we break down the updates to each code of practice and the practical impact on you as an employer.
Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work Code of Practice 2021
The update:
Queensland’s reintroduced audiometric testing requirements (which commenced in 2025 under section 58 of the WHS Regulation) have been incorporated into the preventing hearing loss at work code.
The impact:
Employers whose workers are exposed to hazardous noise now have updated guidance regarding hearing monitoring and audiometric testing obligations.
Managing risks of plant in the workplace Code of Practice 2021
The update:
The only specific technical amendment can be found in the risks of plant code. Appendix B has been updated to include passenger ropeways in the list of plant requiring design registration under Schedule 5 of the WHS Regulation 2011.
The impact:
While the change is unlikely to affect most Queensland businesses, organisations involved in the design, manufacture or operation of passenger ropeways may wish to review their regulatory obligations and registration requirements.
Confined Spaces Code of Practice 2021
Language, references and guidance were updated to maintain consistency between the confined spaces code and the WHS Act, WHS Regulation and national model codes.
There is no substantive change to confined space obligations for employers.
Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022
The update:
The risk of psychosocial hazards code received the most robust updates, with amendments aligning with changes to psychosocial risk regulations and sexual harassment provisions. Dispute resolution and issue resolution processes have also been updated.
Overall, these changes emphasise the duty of care employers hold and the role they play in identifying and managing psychosocial risks, alongside physical hazards.
The impact:
The code now has greater emphasis on managing workplace risks such as excessive workloads, poor workplace relationships and sexual harassment.
Safe design of structures, How to manage work health and safety risks, and Managing the work environment and facilities Codes of Practice 2021.
The update:
The safe design of structures, management of WHS risks and Work environment and facilities codes of Practice have all been amended to reflect recent updates to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and the national Codes of Practice.
The changes incorporate updates relating to psychosocial risk management, as well as legislative references, terminology and other consequential amendments designed to improve consistency and clarity.
In most cases:
The changes are unlikely to impose additional compliance burdens on most businesses; rather, they reinforce that psychosocial risks should be embedded within existing WHS systems and considered alongside traditional workplace safety risks.
Businesses may wish to review their current WHS processes to ensure best-practice measures are in place for identifying, assessing and managing both physical and psychosocial workplace risks.
Closing the (psychosocial) gap
Historically, workplace safety has often been viewed through a physical safety lens. As a result, some businesses developed comprehensive WHS systems focused on physical hazards without formal processes for psychosocial risks.
A workplace could have robust Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), induction procedures and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in place yet still lack any format of structured approach to preventing, managing and resolving, hazards such as excessive workloads, bullying, harassment or poor workplace relationships.
The updated Codes of Practice reinforce that effective safety management requires both physical and psychological hazards to be identified, assessed and managed through existing WHS processes.
Safety is more than hard hats and high-vis...
As businesses across Queensland observe Mental Health Month and National Safe Work Month, the updates serve as a timely reminder that effective workplace safety is no longer measured solely by preventing physical injuries. Regulators are increasingly emphasising that a psychologically safe workplace is just as important as a physically safe one. The updated codes also reflect that shift, reinforcing that employers must take proactive steps to identify, assess and control psychosocial risks as part of their broader work health and safety obligations.
This shift also requires employers to create work environments that support workers' psychological wellbeing, foster respectful workplace relationships and minimise risks to mental health wherever reasonably practicable. The growing emphasis on psychosocial risk management reflects a broader trend seen across Australia, where mental health conditions have emerged as one of the leading drivers of TPD claims, highlighting the significant personal and economic consequences that can arise when psychological risks are left unaddressed in the workplace.
