Consequential Amendments to Seven Queensland Codes of Practice
Queensland businesses should be aware of important updates to seven Work Health and Safety (WHS) Codes of Practice taking effect from 1 September 2026.
The amendments affect the following Codes of Practice:
- Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022
- Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work Code of Practice 2021
- Safe design of structures Code of Practice 2021
- How to manage work health and safety risks Code of Practice 2021
- Confined spaces Code of Practice 2021
- Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021
- Managing risks of plant in the workplace Code of Practice 2021
WorkSafe Queensland describes these as consequential amendments. They are intended to ensure the Codes remain consistent with changes to Queensland’s WHS legislative framework. The amended Codes commence on 1 September 2026.
What Are Consequential Amendments?
Consequential amendments are changes made to supporting documents, such as Codes of Practice, because the underlying legislation has changed.
Importantly, this does not necessarily mean that every amendment creates a new WHS obligation. Rather, the purpose is generally to ensure that the guidance provided to businesses reflects the current legislation, terminology, processes and requirements.
This distinction is important for businesses reviewing their WHS systems. A Code of Practice is not legislation itself, but an approved Code can be highly relevant to compliance. Codes may be admissible in court proceedings and may be relied upon when determining what is known about a hazard, risk or control and what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances.
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Managing The Risk Of Psychosocial Hazards At Work
The most significant targeted change is to the Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022.
WorkSafe Queensland confirms that the Code has been amended to reflect updated processes and timeframes for dispute and issue resolution, together with amendments relating to sexual harassment provisions. These changes take effect from 1 September 2026.
This is particularly relevant because psychosocial hazards can arise from the way work is designed, organised and managed, as well as workplace interactions and behaviours.
The Code already provides guidance on hazards including:
- high or low job demands
- low job control
- poor support
- poor organisational change management
- poor workplace relationships
- bullying
- harassment, including sexual harassment
- violence and aggression
- remote or isolated work
- traumatic events.
The updated provisions reinforce the need for businesses to have appropriate mechanisms for responding to concerns, complaints and disputes involving psychosocial hazards.
For employers, this means that it is timely to review not only the psychosocial risk assessment process but also the complaints, issue-resolution and workplace behaviour procedures that support it.
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Managing Noise And Preventing Hearing Loss At Work
The Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work Code of Practice 2021 has also been consequentially amended.
The Code provides practical guidance on identifying hazardous noise, assessing exposure and implementing controls to prevent hearing loss. It also addresses audiometric testing, personal protective equipment and the responsibilities of designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of plant.
For businesses, the amendment is an important reminder that noise management should not be treated simply as a matter of providing hearing protection.
The Code continues to emphasise the hierarchy of controls and the importance of considering noise at its source. Where workers are required to use hearing protection because their work exceeds the noise exposure standard, specific requirements apply to audiometric testing.
Businesses should therefore take the opportunity to review:
- noise risk assessments
- noise monitoring arrangements
- engineering and other higher-order controls
- hearing protection programs
- audiometric testing arrangements
- worker consultation and training
- information provided with noisy plant and equipment.
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Safe Design Of Structures
The Safe design of structures Code of Practice 2021 is another Code affected by the consequential amendments.
Safe design is particularly important because decisions made during the design stage can eliminate or reduce risks long before workers encounter them.
The Code applies to people involved in designing structures and is also relevant to clients, developers, builders and others whose decisions influence design outcomes.
The current Code takes a lifecycle approach to safety. Designers are expected to consider risks associated with construction, use, maintenance, modification and eventual demolition or dismantling.
The Code also recognises that safe design should consider both physical and psychosocial hazards. For example, design decisions may influence workplace violence, worker accommodation, access, environmental conditions and the way work is performed.
For designers and organisations commissioning design work, the amendments provide an opportunity to ensure that WHS considerations are being incorporated into design briefs, design reviews and information transferred between designers, clients and construction teams.
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How To Manage Work Health And Safety Risks
The How to manage work health and safety risks Code of Practice 2021 is the foundation for the WHS risk-management process.
The Code applies across workplaces and provides guidance on identifying hazards, assessing risks where necessary, controlling risks and reviewing control measures. It also recognises that risks can be physical, psychological or both.
One of the important practical messages is that the risk-management process is not limited to traditional physical hazards.
For example, workplace hazards may arise from:
- equipment and machinery
- noise
- hazardous chemicals
- manual tasks
- work design
- high job demands
- bullying and harassment
- violence and aggression
- workplace interactions and behaviours.
The Code also reinforces the importance of worker consultation and the need to consider psychosocial risks as part of the broader risk-management framework.
Businesses should therefore avoid treating risk assessments as static documents. Risk-management processes should be reviewed when work changes, new equipment is introduced, incidents occur, controls are found to be ineffective or workers identify new hazards.
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Confined Spaces
The Confined spaces Code of Practice 2021 has also been updated as part of the consequential amendments.
Confined-space work remains a high-risk activity because conditions can change quickly and hazards may not always be obvious. Risks can include oxygen deficiency, airborne contaminants, fire or explosion, engulfment, falls and difficulties associated with rescue.
The Code requires a systematic approach to managing these risks, including identifying hazards, assessing risks where required, eliminating risks where reasonably practicable and implementing effective controls.
The Code also highlights the importance of design. Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and constructors have duties relating to structures or plant that contain, or may become, confined spaces. Where reasonably practicable, the need for entry should be eliminated and the risk of inadvertent entry should be addressed.
Businesses undertaking confined-space work should use the amended Code as an opportunity to review:
- confined-space registers
- risk assessments
- entry permits
- isolation procedures
- atmospheric monitoring
- communication systems
- emergency and rescue arrangements
- training and competency
- consultation with workers and other duty holders.
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Managing The Work Environment And Facilities
The Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021 has also received consequential amendments.
The Code covers the physical work environment and facilities provided to workers, including work areas, lighting, ventilation, toilets, drinking water, dining areas, change rooms, personal storage, remote or isolated work and emergency arrangements.
A key feature of the current Code is its recognition that the work environment can contribute to both physical and psychosocial risks.
For example, workplace design, lighting and visibility can influence the risk of violence, aggression and harassment. Similarly, remote and isolated work can increase exposure to both physical and psychosocial risks.
The Code also contains guidance concerning ventilation and airborne contaminants, reinforcing the need for businesses to consider air quality as part of maintaining a safe work environment.
This makes the updated Code particularly relevant to employers undertaking workplace refurbishments, relocations, facility upgrades or changes to working arrangements.
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Managing Risks Of Plant In The Workplace
The Managing risks of plant in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 is the final Code included in the consequential amendments.
Plant is a major source of workplace injury, and the Code applies to businesses that manage or control plant as well as those involved in installing, constructing or commissioning plant.
The Code adopts a lifecycle approach, covering matters including:
- purchasing and hiring plant
- second-hand plant
- installation and commissioning
- operation
- modifications
- inspection
- maintenance and repair
- storage
- powered mobile plant
- decommissioning and disposal
- guarding
- operational controls
- emergency stops
- warning devices
- isolation of energy sources.
For businesses, the key message is that plant safety starts well before a machine is switched on. Procurement, design, installation and commissioning decisions can determine the level of risk workers will face throughout the plant’s lifecycle.
The updated Code should therefore be considered when reviewing plant procurement processes, machinery risk assessments, safe operating procedures and maintenance programs.
What Should Queensland Businesses Do Now?
Although these are described as consequential amendments, businesses should not assume that the changes can simply be filed away as administrative updates.
The seven Codes collectively cover many of the systems that underpin a modern WHS management framework.
Businesses should consider undertaking a targeted review before or from 1 September 2026, including:
- Review the amended Codes relevant to your business and identify changes to terminology, references and guidance.
- Review WHS policies and procedures, particularly psychosocial risk, complaints, issue resolution, consultation and workplace behaviour procedures.
- Check risk assessments to ensure they address both physical and psychosocial hazards where relevant.
- Review control measures rather than relying solely on administrative controls or PPE.
- Check training and competency requirements, particularly for high-risk work such as confined-space entry and plant operation.
- Review design and procurement processes so WHS considerations are incorporated before structures, plant or work systems are introduced.
- Confirm consultation arrangements with workers and health and safety representatives.
- Update internal references to legislation and Codes of Practice so supervisors, managers and workers are working from current information.
- Check contractor and supplier arrangements, particularly where multiple duty holders share responsibility for plant, structures, confined spaces or workplaces.
- Keep evidence of the review. Documenting what was reviewed, who was consulted and what actions were taken can help demonstrate that the business is actively managing its WHS obligations.
The Bigger Picture
The amendments demonstrate an important feature of Australia’s WHS framework: safety obligations do not operate in isolation.
Psychosocial health, workplace design, plant safety, confined-space work, noise, workplace facilities and general risk management can overlap considerably. A single activity may involve several of these Codes at the same time.
For example, a new manufacturing facility could involve safe design of structures, plant risk management, hazardous noise, workplace facilities and psychosocial hazards arising from work design. Similarly, confined-space work may involve plant isolation, atmospheric hazards, emergency response and psychosocial risks.
The most effective approach is therefore not to treat each Code as a standalone compliance exercise. Instead, businesses should integrate the updated Codes into their broader WHS management system.
Conclusion
From 1 September 2026, Queensland businesses will need to work with consequentially amended versions of seven important Codes of Practice covering psychosocial hazards, noise, safe design, risk management, confined spaces, workplace environments and facilities, and plant.
The changes are designed to keep the Codes aligned with Queensland’s current WHS legislative framework. In particular, businesses should take note of the updated processes and timeframes for dispute and issue resolution and the amended sexual-harassment provisions within the psychosocial hazards Code.
For duty holders, the practical response should be more than simply downloading the new documents. The commencement date provides a useful trigger to review WHS systems, risk assessments, consultation arrangements, procedures, training and controls and ensure that workplace practices continue to reflect current Queensland requirements.
Important: This article provides general information only and is not legal advice. Approved Codes of Practice and WHS legislation can have different application depending on the circumstances. Businesses should refer to the current Queensland legislation and WorkSafe Queensland guidance when determining their specific obligations.
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