The TUC has published a guide advocating a gender-specific approach to risk assessment. Gender in occupational health and safety notes that “men and women have physical, physiological and psychological differences that can determine how risks affect them”. Acknowledging those differences would, according to the TUC, mean a greater chance of ensuring that the health, safety and welfare of all workers is protected.
The union guide suggests that the male and female employment experience differs. It reports that men tend to “predominate more visibly heavy and dangerous work, such as construction”, whereas women tend to work in areas where work-related illness arises from “less visible, long-term exposures to harm”. According to the guide, there ought to be a move away from risk prevention that has traditionally focused on the former (visual) category.
Physical differences may mean, for instance, that women entering traditionally male jobs in areas like construction are particularly at risk from inappropriately designed equipment, tools and personal protective equipment. According to the guide, hand tools and workstation heights may be designed inappropriately for female physiology. The report goes on to cover issues such as pregnancy, stress, harassment, and uniforms.
Should parties wish to incorporate the TUC guide, a gender checklist can be found in section four of Gender in occupational health and safety.
