qld-psychosocial-checker

Queensland Psychosocial Hazard Management — Complete Reference

Purpose

This skill provides the verified Queensland-specific legislative and guidance framework for managing psychosocial hazards at work. It extracts key provisions from two source documents:

1. QLD WHS Regulation 2011 — Division 11 (psychosocial risks), rr 55A–55H, including QLD-specific Subdivision 3 (sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment), mandatory prevention plan (r 55H)
2. QLD CoP: Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work (2022) — approved code under s 274 of the WHS Act 2011 (Qld), PN12796, commences 1 April 2023; 14 hazard categories, risk management process, responding to complaints, issue and dispute resolution (including QIRC pathway), case studies, hazard examples, control measure examples, example bullying policy, example risk register

This is a reference skill — it is not intended as a standalone user tool. It is loaded by action skills (e.g. psychosocial gap analysis, risk register builder, audit criteria generator) when they need to verify or cite QLD-specific psychosocial hazard provisions.

For general WHS Act and Regulation provisions (duties, offences, penalties, incident notification, general risk management), refer to the safetysure-whs-legislation:whs-act-checker-qld and safetysure-whs-legislation:whs-regulation-checker-qld skills.

For Model (national) psychosocial provisions (Model WHS Bill, Model WHS Regulations Division 11, Model CoP: Managing Psychosocial Hazards, Model CoP: Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment), refer to the safetysure-psychosocial-model:psychosocial-model skill.

Critical Rules

1. Only cite provisions that appear in the section files. Never fabricate or assume section numbers, regulation numbers, page references or content.
2. Citation format — legislation: Use "s [number]" for WHS Act sections (e.g. "s 19 of the WHS Act 2011 (Qld)") and "r [number]" or "rr [range]" for WHS Regulations (e.g. "r 55H" or "rr 55A–55H").
3. Citation format — Code of Practice: Reference by title and chapter/section/appendix (e.g. "QLD CoP: Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work, s 3.2.2" or "QLD CoP, Appendix 4 — Examples of Control Measures").
4. Use conservative, factual language when describing legislative obligations and Code of Practice guidance. Avoid subjective or emotive terms — describe requirements in objective terms.
5. Always use Australian English spelling (e.g. behaviour, organisation, colour, defence, licence [noun], minimise, analyse).
6. Distinguish between sources. The WHS Regulation prescribes specific requirements for psychosocial risk management (including QLD-specific SGBH provisions). The Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how to comply with duties.
7. QLD-specific provisions must be distinguished from Model provisions. Where a provision is QLD-specific (not in the Model WHS Regulations), this must be clearly noted. Key QLD-specific provisions include: r 55BA (SGBH definitions), Subdivision 3 (rr 55E–55H), the mandatory prevention plan (r 55H), and the QIRC dispute resolution pathway.
8. Cross-reference with Model provisions where appropriate. The QLD WHS Regulation Division 11 adopts the Model provisions (rr 55A–55D) and adds QLD-specific provisions (rr 55BA, 55E–55H). The QLD CoP closely follows the Model CoP structure but includes QLD-specific content (case studies, QIRC pathway, QLD legislation references).
9. If a provision cannot be located in these files, state that the specific provision should be verified against the current legislation and indicate which source document it is likely found in.

Section Index

Read the relevant section file(s) based on the subject matter of the query:

QLD WHS Regulation 2011

File	Content	When to Read
sections/qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	QLD WHS Regulation 2011 — Division 11 (rr 55A–55H)	Psychosocial hazard/risk definitions (rr 55A–55B), SGBH definitions (r 55BA — QLD-specific), duty to manage psychosocial risks (r 55C), determining control measures (r 55D — 9 matters), SGBH application (r 55E), SGBH control measures — worker and workplace characteristics (r 55F — QLD-specific), SGBH review of controls (r 55G — QLD-specific), mandatory prevention plan (r 55H — QLD-specific, 60 penalty units)

QLD CoP: Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work (2022)

File	Chapters	When to Read
sections/qld-cop-introduction.md	Chapters 1–2	Psychosocial hazard definition, psychological health continuum, WHS duties (PCBU s 19, PCBU with management s 20, designers/manufacturers Part 2 Div 3, officers s 27, workers s 28, other persons s 29), reasonably practicable (s 18), other QLD-specific legislation (AD Act, IR Act, HR Act, WCR Act, Criminal Code, IP Act), consultation with workers (ss 47–49), consulting other duty holders (ss 14, 16, 46, 272)
sections/qld-cop-risk-management.md	Chapters 3–3.5	Identifying hazards (r 34, 14 hazard categories in Table 1, factors increasing risk of violence/aggression and bullying, identification methods, workplace data sources in Table 2), assessing risk (when to assess, duration/frequency/severity, interaction of hazards, risk assessment resources — People at Work survey, psychosocial risk assessment template, focus group guide), controlling risk (WHS Act s 17, WHS Reg rr 35–36/55D, Table 3 — 9 matters, hierarchy of controls, eliminating risks, minimising risks — substitution/isolation/engineering, administrative controls, information/training/instruction under WHS Reg r 39, PPE as last resort, combining controls, addressing individual worker risks), maintaining and reviewing (WHS Reg rr 37–38, review triggers, review questions), recording the risk management process
sections/qld-cop-response-resolution.md	Chapters 4–5	Responding to complaints/incidents/reports (encouraging reporting, barriers to reporting, Part 6 victimisation protections, Table 4 — 9 response principles including trauma-informed approach, HSR role, response procedures, responding to violence and aggression — at the time/immediately after/incident management/incident reviews, notifiable incident requirements under WHS Act ss 35–39, Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003), issue and dispute resolution (WHS Act ss 80–82, WHS Reg rr 22–23, 4-step process, default resolution procedure, QIRC pathway — QLD-specific, dispute resolution under WHS Act ss 102A–102G)
sections/qld-cop-appendices.md	Appendices 1–6	Appendix 1: Other legislation (7 QLD/Cth Acts with psychosocial relevance). Appendix 2: 5 case studies (community care, construction, call centre, trucking, paramedic — QLD-specific). Appendix 3: Examples of psychosocial hazard situations (14 categories). Appendix 4: Examples of control measures (14 categories + common controls). Appendix 5: Example bullying policy template (QLD-specific — QIRC reference). Appendix 6: Example risk register with completed entries.

Workflow

1. Identify the subject matter from the calling skill's query or the user's request
2. Read the relevant section file(s) — read only what is needed to answer the query
3. Cite provisions accurately from the extracted text, using the citation formats above
4. Cross-reference with Model provisions where appropriate (load psychosocial-model if Model-level detail is needed)
5. Flag any QLD-specific provisions — clearly distinguish QLD additions from Model provisions (e.g. "r 55H is a QLD-specific provision not found in the Model WHS Regulations")

Common Query Routing

Query Topic	Primary File(s)	Key References
Psychosocial hazard/risk definitions	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg rr 55A–55B
SGBH definitions (QLD-specific)	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg r 55BA; Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld); Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld)
Duty to manage psychosocial risks	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg r 55C
PCBU primary duty (general)	qld-cop-introduction.md	WHS Act s 19
Officer due diligence	qld-cop-introduction.md	WHS Act s 27
Reasonably practicable test	qld-cop-introduction.md	WHS Act s 18
14 hazard categories	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP Table 1
Identifying psychosocial hazards	qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 34; QLD CoP s 3.1
Workplace data sources for identification	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP Table 2
Factors increasing risk of violence/aggression	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.1.3
Factors increasing risk of bullying	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.1.3
Risk assessment process	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP ss 3.2.1–3.2.2
People at Work survey	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.2
Control measures — 9 matters (r 55D)	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md, qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 55D; QLD CoP Table 3
SGBH control measure factors (QLD-specific)	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg r 55F (worker characteristics, workplace characteristics)
Hierarchy of controls	qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 36; QLD CoP s 3.3.2
Eliminating risks	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.3.1
Administrative controls	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.3.2 (Step 2)
Information, training, instruction	qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Act s 19; WHS Reg r 39; QLD CoP s 3.3.2
Combining controls	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.3.3
Individual worker adjustments	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.3.4
Prevention plan (QLD-specific)	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg r 55H (60 penalty units)
SGBH review of controls (QLD-specific)	qld-whs-reg-psychosocial.md	WHS Reg r 55G
Maintaining control measures	qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 37; QLD CoP s 3.4.1
Reviewing control measures	qld-cop-risk-management.md	WHS Reg r 38; QLD CoP s 3.4.2
Recording risk management process	qld-cop-risk-management.md	QLD CoP s 3.5
Responding to complaints/reports	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	QLD CoP Ch 4
Encouraging reporting	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	QLD CoP s 4.1
Response principles (Table 4)	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	QLD CoP s 4.2 (9 principles)
Trauma-informed approach	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	QLD CoP Table 4
Responding to violence and aggression	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	QLD CoP s 4.3
Notifiable incident (psychosocial)	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	WHS Act ss 35–39; QLD CoP s 4.4
Issue resolution process	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	WHS Act ss 80–82; WHS Reg rr 22–23
QIRC dispute resolution (QLD-specific)	qld-cop-response-resolution.md	WHS Act ss 102A–102G
Consultation with workers	qld-cop-introduction.md	WHS Act ss 47–49
Consulting other duty holders	qld-cop-introduction.md	WHS Act ss 14, 16, 46, 272
Other QLD legislation	qld-cop-introduction.md, qld-cop-appendices.md	AD Act 1991; IR Act 2016; FW Act 2009; HR Act 2019; WCR Act 2003; Criminal Code 1899; IP Act 2009
Case studies	qld-cop-appendices.md	QLD CoP Appendix 2
Hazard examples (situations)	qld-cop-appendices.md	QLD CoP Appendix 3
Control measure examples	qld-cop-appendices.md	QLD CoP Appendix 4
Example bullying policy	qld-cop-appendices.md	QLD CoP Appendix 5
Example risk register	qld-cop-appendices.md	QLD CoP Appendix 6

QLD-Specific Differences from Model Framework

Feature	Model Provisions	QLD Provisions
Psychosocial hazard definition (r 55A)	r 55A	Identical
Psychosocial risk definition (r 55B)	r 55B	Identical
SGBH definitions (r 55BA)	Not included	QLD-specific — references Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) and Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld)
Duty to manage (r 55C)	General duty only	General duty (r 55C(1)) + explicit SGBH duty (r 55C(2))
Control measures (r 55D)	9 matters to consider	Identical 9 matters
SGBH control measures (r 55F)	Not included	QLD-specific — additional matters: worker characteristics (age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, disability) and workplace/environment characteristics (culture, diversity)
Review of SGBH controls (r 55G)	Not included	QLD-specific — must review if SGBH report made
Prevention plan (r 55H)	Not included	QLD-specific mandatory requirement — written plan, 60 penalty units, review triggers (after report, HSR request, or every 3 years)
CoP — case studies	Not included in Model CoP	QLD-specific — 5 case studies (community care, construction, call centre, trucking, paramedic)
CoP — dispute resolution	Model CoP does not cover dispute resolution in detail	QLD-specific — QIRC as designated tribunal for WHS disputes
CoP — other legislation	Model CoP references general WHS legislation	QLD-specific — references 7 QLD/Cth Acts (including Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld), not referenced in Model)
CoP — bullying policy template	Model CoP does not include a policy template	QLD-specific — Appendix 5 includes example policy referencing QIRC

Version Information

• QLD WHS Regulation 2011: Current as at 1 March 2025 (Division 11, rr 55A–55H)
• QLD CoP: Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work: 2022, PN12796, 67 pages, commences 1 April 2023
• Extraction method: Text extracted from official Queensland Government publications
• Licence: CC BY 4.0 (State of Queensland)

Note: These are Queensland-specific provisions. For Model (national) provisions, load the safetysure-psychosocial-model:psychosocial-model skill. For other jurisdictions, load the relevant jurisdiction specialist plugin (e.g. safetysure-psychosocial-nsw, safetysure-psychosocial-vic). QLD provisions should be cited as enacted QLD law; Model provisions should not be cited as applicable law in QLD without verification against the enacted QLD legislation.