Gendered violence is an OHS issue.

admin • November 27, 2024

Work-related gendered violence is any behaviour, directed at any person, or that affects a person, because of their sex, gender or sexual orientation, or because they do not adhere to socially prescribed gender roles, that creates a risk to health and safety.


But what does it actually look like?


Work-related gendered violence can range in severity. It might include things like:

·        Indecent phone calls

·        Offensive language or images

·        Sexually explicit social media, text messages or emails

·        Repeated or inappropriate advances

·        Rude gestures, staring or intimidation

·        Put downs, ostracism or exclusion

·        Sexually suggestive comments or jokes

·        Unwelcome touching, hugging or cornering

·        Intrusive questions

·        Physical assault including sexual assault and rape

·        Sexual harassment

·        Verbal abuse

·        Stalking

·        Being undermined in your work or position


Work-related violence and sexual harassment can cause physical and/or mental injury – this is an Occupational Health and Safety Issue. Like all OHS issues, we need to prevent them by:

1.     Identifying the hazards and assessing the risks

2.     Implementing  measures to eliminate or control the risks

3.     Review the effectiveness of control measures


For more information on work-related gendered violence and how to control this hazard, take a look at the guidance material at: Gendered violence | WorkSafe Victoria.



If you require additional assistance or information on accessing information please contact BeSafe.

Working from home

By admin • April 21, 2025
Working from home has become very common. Sometimes we can be permanently working from home, temporarily or as part of a hybrid arrangement. Even though we are not physically in our usually workplace, our home has now become our workplace and so this means that OHS Laws still apply, and all the legislated duty holders still have the same duties under The Act. The employer still has duties, including to ensure a safe workplace, mitigate OHS risks and to consult with their employees. The employee has a duty to take reasonable care for their own safety and to co-operate with safety measure put in place by their employer. The risk management process should still take place, even though you are working in your home environment, and we must seek to identify hazards as a starting point. Common hazards which you may find when you assess your own home work environment could include: Poor lighting Noise Poor temperature control Electrical hazards Psychosocial hazards (eg: job demands, poor role clarity, lack of support, online abuse, bullying, etc) Fatigue Domestic violence Trip and slip hazards Poor ergonomics The individual worker is particularly important in the hazard identification and risk management process in the work from home context. This is because they are often the only person who will be aware of the risks associated with their individual home environment. For more information on this topic, take a look at: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/working-home https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/officewise-working-home

Hazard Hunts: A tool for creating safer workplaces.

By admin • April 15, 2025
Hazard Hunts can be a great tool to use in workplace safety programs. They're a proactive strategy to identify and mitigate potential risks before incidents or injuries occur. But what exactly is a Hazard Hunt, and why is it so valuable? Hazard Hunts are regular, structured inspections aimed at identifying and eliminating potential risks in the workplace. Advantages: · Prevent Harm: proactively identification of potential hazards before they caused harm. Hazard hunts can prompt us to focus on specific risks that may have been overlooked. · Engagement of Employees: Talk to employees in the area. They often have valuable insights into hazards that may take time to be evident to outsiders. · Empowers Individuals: Creates an opportunity for individual employees to make a tangible difference to the safety of their workplace. This can really empower the individual and turn their mind to safety. · Collect information: Hazard hunts can prompt us to focus on specific risks that may have been overlooked · Increases awareness: The engagement of the workforce in this way can turn the mind to hazard identification in a way which can sharpens our ability to identify potential dangers and enhances our overall safety. · Positive influences safety culture: The involvement of the whole workforce, from management to the shop-floor, can foster an environment where safety becomes a shared responsibility. It can encourage a culture of vigilance and care. What next? It is integral that there is thorough follow-up after a hazard hunt takes place. This means utilising the risk matrix and hierarchy of control to prioritise the hazards which are dealt with first. Then you must move forward with mitigating the risk of the hazards coming to fruition. As always, this process must take place with meaningful consultation. If you don’t do this, then the benefits of the Hazard Hunt will be lost. The effort put into the hazard identification exercise must be matched by the dedication of the employer to make meaningful safety improvements. The Role of HSR’s: The people who are doing the work are the best placed to identify hazards in their work. They are also often the best people to come up with successful OHS solutions. HSR’s can encourage the use of hazard hunts and encourage their co-workers to actively participate. As always, HSR’s act as a conduit between the workers and the employer – working to improve safety in their role as employee representatives.