Deadline Looms for Sexual Harassment Prevention Plans

Managing the risk of sexual harassment causing harm in our workplaces has been the responsibility of Queensland businesses for a long time.  From 1 March 2025 managing this risk will include the requirement to prepare and implement a written Prevention Plan.   A sexual harassment Prevention Plan is essentially a documented risk assessment designed to focus specifically on proactively managing the risk of sexual harassment causing harm at work.

All businesses that can identify a risk of sexual harassment or sex or gender-based harassment occurring in their workplace are obliged to prepare and implement a Prevention Plan.  In reality, this means that virtually all Queensland businesses will be captured by this new obligation to prepare and implement a Prevention Plan in order to meet the new requirements of Queensland’s work health and safety legislation.  Unless you work alone, chances are your business needs a Prevention Plan and needs one now.

Sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment are workplace hazards that can result in workers suffering psychological and physical harm. Historically, the focus has been on developing policies and complaints processes to manage any concerns that arose.  Amendments made to the work health and safety regulations in 2024 have shifted the emphasis to being proactive.  Businesses are now required to be able to demonstrate that they are taking proactive steps to prevent the harassment occurring in the first place.

A Prevention Plan must identify the risks specific to the business, detail the control measures that will be implemented to eliminate or minimise the risk and specify the process for consulting with employees that occurred during the development of the Plan. 

If you need help to prepare and implement a sexual harassment Prevention Plan specific to your business, please contact our workplace relations team.