Module 3 · Tool 9
Module 3 — Health & Safety from a Gender Perspective · Sessions 3.1, 3.3

Gender-Sensitive
Risk Assessment

A practical way to spot the health-and-safety risks that traditional assessments miss — and make the site safer for everyone.

?
How to use this tool
Read this first — it takes two minutes and makes the rest easier.

Risk assessment is how a site stays safe. This tool keeps the standard five-step cycle you already know, then adds a gender lens so risks that affect some workers more than others don’t get missed. Work through the sections in order, then use the worksheet at the bottom to assess one real task from your own site.

1
Learn the five stepsThe standard risk-assessment cycle every site uses — get these right first.
2
Add the gender lensSee where workplace design and equipment affect workers differently.
3
Check the hot spotsSix areas where gender matters most — run through them for any task.
4
Assess a real taskUse the worksheet to produce an actual gender-sensitive risk assessment for your site.
Self-guided (~25 min): work through each section, then complete the worksheet and save as PDF. Trainer-led (~60 min): use the sections for group discussion, then small groups complete the worksheet on a real task.
1
Risk Assessment in Five Steps
Session 3.1 · The standard cycle every site uses — master this first, then add the lens.

Every risk assessment — gender-sensitive or not — follows the same cycle. These five steps are required by law and used on every site. The gender lens in the next section slots into each of them.

1
Spot the hazards
What could cause harm?
2
Who’s at risk
Who could be hurt, and how?
3
Judge & control
How serious? What controls reduce it?
4
Record & act
Write it down; put controls in place.
5
Review
Check again when anything changes.
It’s a cycle, not a one-off. Step 5 loops back to Step 1. Re-check whenever the task, the team, the equipment, or the site changes.
2
Adding the Gender Lens
Session 3.3 · What standard assessments miss — and what the lens adds.

Safety has often been designed around a “standard worker” — roughly an average-sized man. When that’s the only worker in mind, others can face extra risk that the assessment never catches. The gender lens fixes that without changing the five steps — it just adds one question to each.

Without the lens
  • Tools sized for larger hands and frames
  • PPE only stocked in larger sizes
  • Lifting limits set for the “average” body
  • Welfare planned without everyone in mind
With the lens
  • Ask how each hazard affects different workers
  • Provide PPE that fits a range of bodies
  • Match tasks to capability; rotate heavy work
  • Plan facilities and welfare for the whole workforce
The point: a gender lens doesn’t lower safety standards — it makes them work for everyone on the site.
3
The Six Hot Spots
Session 3.3 · Where gender matters most — check each one when you assess any task.

Six areas where construction risks often fall unevenly. When you use the worksheet below, scan this list first and ask yourself which hot spots apply to the task you’re assessing.

Hot spot 1
Tool & equipment fit
Grips, weights and reach designed for larger hands and frames can be unsafe for others.
Hot spot 2
PPE that fits
Gloves, boots, harnesses and coveralls that don’t fit don’t protect — and can create new hazards.
Hot spot 3
Manual handling & ergonomics
Repetitive lifting, awkward postures and reach limits affect bodies differently.
Hot spot 4
Welfare & sanitation
Clean, private, accessible toilets and rest areas are a health-and-safety issue, not a luxury.
Hot spot 5
Pregnancy & maternity
Some tasks and exposures need adjusting; a specific risk assessment may be required.
Hot spot 6
Lone working & harassment
Working alone and the risk of harassment are safety risks that belong in the assessment.
4
Ergonomics Up Close
Session 3.3 · Fitting the work to the worker — most gender-related physical risk shows up here.

Ergonomics means designing the work so it fits the person doing it, not forcing the person to fit the work. Most of the physical risks that fall unevenly on different workers on site come down to ergonomics.

Risk factors
  • Repetitive movements
  • Heavy or awkward lifting
  • Awkward working postures
  • Prolonged standing or bending
  • Tools that don’t fit the hand
→
What it can cause
  • Musculoskeletal disorders
  • Back and neck pain
  • Joint strain and injury
  • Fatigue and reduced focus
  • Long-term ill health
→
What helps
  • Right-sized, lighter tools
  • Good lifting technique & aids
  • Rotate repetitive tasks
  • Adjust heights and layouts
  • Breaks and recovery time
✎
Your Gender-Sensitive Risk Assessment
Take one real task from your site and work across each row. Add as many hazards as you need.
Your work is not saved online. When you finish, use “Save as PDF” at the bottom to keep a copy. Refreshing this page will clear your entries.
How to fill this in: start by naming the task you’re assessing. Then, for each hazard you identify, fill in one row: describe the hazard, note who is affected and how (think about all workers, not just the “average” one), describe the control already in place, and suggest one gender-sensitive improvement. Use the hot spots above as prompts. Add rows for each hazard — most tasks will have between three and eight.
The hazard Who is affected — and how? Control in place now Gender-sensitive improvement
Remember: the goal isn’t more paperwork — it’s one or two changes that make this task safer for every worker doing it.

Save your risk assessment

Nothing you’ve entered is stored online. Save as PDF to keep your completed assessment.