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Step 2: Assess the risk of harm

This is the second step in the risk management approach and supports employers to prioritise what action to take based on the likelihood and severity of harm occurring.

Understanding risk assessments

A risk assessment helps employers understand the risks to employees’ health and safety, and how to prioritise efforts to manage them. This process occurs after the source of the issue has been identified – in this case, the risk of gendered-violence occurring to LGBTQIA+ people from either employees, customers, clients or contractors.

How to conduct a risk assessment

A thorough assessment should:

There are specific factors within the workplace that increase the likelihood and severity of harm. These are listed below and should be considered during the above process.

Factors that increase risk:

Case study: Misty's story

Case Study: Exclusion at workplace social events. Misty (they/them)  

At a workplace dinner, the chosen venue lacked allgender bathrooms. Misty, a trans and non-binary employee, declined drinks due to anxiety about needing the bathroom. When they eventually checked the facilities, a waiter blocked them from entering the women’s bathroom and pointed to the men’s, saying, “Go there, mate.” Misty quietly left the event to use a nearby venue's facilities. They didn’t report the incident - fearful that speaking up might label them as ‘difficult’ and risk their contract renewal. From then on, Misty avoided all offsite social events. 

When to conduct a risk assessment

Risk assessments should be conducted:

  1. Annually (or as reasonably practicable depending on business size and nature).
  2. When the presence of LGBTQIA+ gendered violence is unclear.
  3. After reports of homophobia, transphobia, or LGBTQIA+ exclusion.
  4. When workplace changes (leadership, policy, restructure) may affect risks.

Who should be involved

A meaningful risk assessment should be led by someone with:

  1. Knowledge of LGBTQIA+ workplace issues.
  2. Access to relevant data and employee feedback.
  3. Support from trained staff or external LGBTQIA+ inclusion consultants.

It’s important to consider how you might engage LGBTQIA+ representation during the risk assessment process. This could include engaging with:

  1. Diversity and inclusion committees.
  2. LGBTQIA+ employee working groups or pride networks.
  3. Paid LGBTQIA+ consultants or organisations.

Tailor the risk assessment to your workplace

The nature and extent of the risk assessment may vary from workplace to workplace. What’s suitable depends on a range of factors, like how many people are employed, how many sites there are, the hours typically worked, the capability and capacity of the person leading the assessment.

For small workplaces (20 staff or less), this may look like using informal methods such as:

  1. Regular check-ins.
  2. Open conversations.
  3. Small focus groups.

For larger organisations or high-risk industries, a more formalised approach may be necessary to capture a wider number of perspectives, and could activities like:

  1. Comprehensive employee surveys.
  2. Focus groups or roundtables.
  3. External audits or reviews by LGBTQIA+ experts.

Tools for completing a risk assessment

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Disclaimer: This information is intended for general use only and may not be applicable in all circumstances. You should always check any applicable legislation and make your own judgements about what action you may need to take to ensure you have complied with the law. Accordingly WorkSafe cannot be held responsible and extend no warranties as to the suitability of the information for any purpose; or actions of a third party taken as a result of information contained in this page.