The Burriin Model

The 16+5 Hazard Model

Sixteen hazards are already recognised under WorkSafe Victoria’s Compliance Code. We add five more that no other framework assesses, because they were never built to see them.

The gap

Why 21 hazards, not 16

Mainstream psychosocial risk frameworks were developed to address the hazards most commonly experienced across the general workforce. They weren’t designed with First Nations workplace experience specifically in mind.

That’s not a criticism, it’s a gap. And gaps in a risk assessment are exactly where liability lives.

Burriin’s 16+5 model closes that gap. It starts with the full 16 hazards from WorkSafe Victoria’s Compliance Code Appendix C, then adds five hazards specific to First Nations employees and communities, grounded in Balit Murrup, VACCHO’s Balit Durn Durn, and the Gari Yala research findings.

The result is a complete picture. Visible hazards lead to controllable risks, and controllable risks lead to a defensible position.

The Standard 16

The 16 Standard Hazards

WorkSafe Victoria Compliance Code, Appendix C. Every Burriin assessment covers all sixteen as a baseline.

Exposure to physical or verbal aggression in the course of work.

Repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed at a worker that creates a risk to health and safety.

Direct or indirect exposure to distressing events, material, or disclosures.

Violence or harassment directed at a person because of their gender.

Excessive physical, mental, or emotional effort required to perform a role.

Little or no influence over how, when, or where work is carried out.

Insufficient physical, mental, or emotional effort in the role, leaving workers under-stimulated or underutilised.

A low level or absence of acknowledgment for a worker’s contributions and efforts.

Uncertainty about tasks, work standards, or conflicting responsibilities.

Exposure to unpleasant, unsafe, or hazardous physical working conditions.

Change that is poorly planned, communicated, or supported.

Unfair processes or outcomes in decisions that affect workers.

Insufficient support, information, or resources from managers, peers, or the organisation.

Conflict, poor communication, or breakdowns in working relationships.

Working alone or in locations that limit access to help or support.

Unwelcome sexual behaviour that a reasonable person would find offensive or intimidating.

The Burriin +5

The 5 First Nations Hazards

Presented to and engaged with by WorkSafe Victoria’s Psychological Health Leadership Team, who are adopting this into their own internal practices.

Community Weight

The responsibility many First Nations people carry for family and community, including the expectation of succeeding on behalf of community.

Culturally Unsafe Environment

A workplace where a First Nations person cannot be themselves fully, where raising concerns isn’t possible without fear of professional consequences.

Cultural Load

The additional work First Nations employees carry because of their cultural identity, organising NAIDOC events, advising on RAP, educating colleagues, being the go-to person for anything First Nations-related. For First Nations professionals hired in cultural roles, cultural load extends beyond formal responsibilities to include the excess expectations placed on them above and beyond what the role accounts for. Paid or unpaid, this load causes burnout, stress and resentment when it isn’t recognised, limited, or resourced appropriately.

Identity Strain

The psychological pressure of navigating a workplace where being First Nations is treated as something to manage, explain, or conceal.

SEWB Disruption

Disruption to connections to body, mind, family, community, culture, Country, and spirit, not consistently captured by measures calibrated to non-Indigenous norms.

Grounded in the evidence

The five First Nations hazards aren’t a marketing framework, they’re built on established research: the Victorian Government’s Balit Murrup framework, VACCHO’s Balit Durn Durn, and the Gari Yala report into First Nations workplace experience. Where possible, each hazard is tied back to a documented finding rather than an assumption.

See the full model in action

The 16+5 model isn’t just a page on a website, it’s built directly into every assessment we run and every control plan we deliver.

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