Preventing sexual harassment – step 1: identify hazards
Guidance for employers on identifying sexual harassment in the working environment.

The risk management process
To provide a safe and healthy working environment for employees and other persons, employers must eliminate or reduce hazards and risks. They must do this so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes for psychosocial hazards like sexual harassment.
A safe and healthy working environment requires an organised approach to finding and fixing hazards and risks. This is known as the risk management process.
Identifying sexual harassment
Identifying psychosocial hazards involves finding all the hazards in the working environment. This includes both reported and non-reported hazards. It also involves understanding the possible harm the hazards may cause.
Employers must consult with employees and any health and safety representatives (HSR) when identifying hazards. Depending on the size and type of workplace, employers can do this in different ways. This includes by:
- seeking employee reports about health and safety concerns, including psychosocial hazards
- providing multiple ways to report, including anonymously, verbally or in writing
- talking to employees and observing how work is being done
- organising external reviews of the workplace by an independent person or organisation
- seeking feedback on psychosocial hazards. For example, doing employee surveys with questions about psychosocial hazards.
Sexual harassment is a psychosocial hazard that can exist in any workplace at any time. Ways to identify if sexual harassment is an active hazard in your workplace include the following.
Review workplace data
Employers should understand which hazards employees are statistically more likely to face. Both internal and external data is useful. For example:
- Assess evidence like:
- data showing which industries have a higher risk of sexual harassment
- high turnover rates
- hazard and incident reports
- grievances and reports lodged by employees or third parties.
- Look for themes in the data. For example:
- high turnover from one part of your organisation
- if reports about other hazards such as bullying also mention inappropriate sexualised behaviour.
- Consider other psychosocial hazards in the workplace that may increase the risk of sexual harassment. For example:
- high job demands
- low role clarity
- lack of job control
- poor workplace relationships
- exposure to traumatic events or content.
Don’t rely only on formal reports of sexual harassment. A lack of reports doesn’t mean that incidents are not happening. People may not be reporting incidents because they:
- don’t know how or have inadequate support
- don’t understand their legal rights
- worry about community attitudes such as victim-blaming
- don’t have job security
- don’t trust the reporting system or they are discouraged from reporting
- see them as just ‘part of the job’ or work culture.
Review workplace structure
Consider workplace demographics and hierarchy. Are there any power imbalances in working relationships? This could include factors such as the following:
- Gender, race, age or disability. For example, are minority groups represented across the organisation?
- Role and reporting lines. For example, are job roles clearly outlined? Are there supportive and clear managerial structures?
- Seniority. For example, do more junior employees feel safe to speak up if needed?
- Locations. For example, are all working locations safe and properly set up for every employee?
- Length of employment. For example, are new employees properly inducted to understand their rights?
- Job security. For example, do casual or fixed-term employees have the same protections as permanent employees?
- Pay and other benefits. For example, do lower-paid employees feel confident to speak up if needed?
Review the working culture
Consider how the workplace culture may affect employee safety and morale. This could include factors such as the following:
- Is sexual harassment accepted as normal behaviour? For example, are sexual or gendered jokes and teasing part of daily working life?
- Does management tolerate or engage in these behaviours or fail to act on concerns or reports?
- Is there a gender pay gap or does one gender dominate the more senior decision-making roles?
Review work systems, practices and policies
Are employees at greater risk of harm because of work systems, practices and policies, for example do they:
- work alone, at night or with minimal or no supervision?
- work in restrictive spaces like cars or in isolated locations?
- have regular contact with members of the public?
- need to attend overnight conferences or after-hours events?
- don’t know about, understand or trust sexual harassment policies or reporting processes?
Review the online working environment
Are employees at greater risk of harm because of technology or online interactions? For example:
- Are security settings adequate?
- Are there clear guidelines and processes for online behaviour? Are there safe and confidential ways to report harmful behaviour?
- Do employees use social media or online messaging platforms for work purposes?
- How do employees interact with each other, managers and members of the public in online spaces? For example, are employees at risk of receiving inappropriate messages through a private chat function?
Review the physical working environment
Are employees at greater risk of harm because of physical factors in the working environment? For example:
- If employees wear a uniform, does this meet their needs and ensure their dignity? Are there all-gender options available? For example, women have the option to wear pants rather than skirts.
- Are private areas like meeting rooms or storerooms properly set up and safe? Do only relevant people have access?
- Are exits and entrances safe and well lit? Common problem areas include car parks and basements.
- Are there areas that make it hard to move around or where employees need to touch each other to move past?
- Are there safe and private areas where employees can change clothes or store personal items if needed?
- Are there any images on display or lying around that may be offensive? This includes on screensavers or other digital platforms.
Review patterns of absenteeism and leave
Does human resources data show that employees may feel vulnerable or unsafe? For example:
- Are teams or employees taking more sick leave without explanation?
- Are teams or employees performing or behaving differently? Has work performance suddenly declined unexpectedly?