A SafeWork South Australia campaign has found that workplace culture at the state’s major mine sites has significantly matured in recent years.
The campaign ran between September 2022 and July 2024, during which 44 site visits were conducted to eight major SA mine sites to ensure the existence of safe environments and systems of work to manage the risks associated with inappropriate behaviours.
This followed the Report into Workplace Culture at Rio Tinto, released by Rio Tinto in February 2022, which explored systemic bullying and sexual harassment.
During the campaign, it was found that employers at the eight SA mines audited were aware of the Rio Tinto report and had actively taken steps to improve work environments and systems of work addressing concerns raised in the report. The audits found that systems had matured as part of a process of continual improvement.
Workers interviewed reported a high level of support from their immediate managers and a strong understanding of reporting systems and mechanisms.
SafeWork SA executive director Glenn Farrell said systems to combat harassment in the workplace “are only as good as the commitment by leadership to ensure, in consultation with workers, they are appropriate, effective, and reviewed as necessary.
“We acknowledge the efforts made by the mining industry to improve safe work environments and systems of work to prevent risks associated with sexual harassment, discrimination and violence in the wake of the 2022 Rio Tinto report,” Farrell said.
“This is a complex issue which requires constant attention to embed a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace culture.
“Adverse behaviours such as bullying and sexual harassment are symptomatic of boarder psychosocial safety problems – addressing these in a way that is contextual for the industry is likely to minimise the likelihood of such behaviours emerging.”
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