4. Assessing the risks

Risk management process. A continual cycle of identify hazards, assess the risk, control the risk and review control measures with consultation throughout. Note, for known risks and controls the assess risks step can be bypassed. The second step, assess risks, is highlighted in red.Once you, as the PCBU, have identified where and when the risk of sexual and gender-based harassment may occur, and who might be affected, you can assess the risk it creates to workers. Consider the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure:

\- Duration – how long is the worker exposed to the risk?
\- Frequency – how often is the worker exposed to the risk?
\- Severity – how severe is the harassment?

You must also consider whether there are other hazards present and how the interaction between hazards may affect the risk.

The risk to workers increases when exposure to hazards is more severe (e.g. exposed to a risk of sexual assault), more frequent (e.g. occurring on every shift), or is longer in duration (e.g. being exposed to the risk for several hours). Frequent or prolonged exposure to forms of sexual harassment that are considered subtle or less serious can have a similar impact on someone’s psychological health as a single, ‘more severe’ incident.

The risks also increase when workers are exposed to a combination of the above mechanisms. For example, short term but severe exposure to the risk of sexual and gender‑based harassment is more likely to harm workers if they are also exposed to chronic (long duration), but less severe hazards.

In assessing the risk you should consider:

\- the effectiveness of existing control measures and whether they control all forms of sexual and gender-based harassment
\- how work is actually done, rather than relying on written manuals and procedures, and
\- infrequent or unusual situations (e.g. workers and others not following policies or processes; working unusual hours; manager absences), as well as how things are normally meant to occur.