The Australian Resources and Energy Group (AMMA) has taken a stand against workplace sexual harassment in the resources and energy sector.
As part of their submission to Western Australia’s Inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry, AMMA says that despite some proactive measures to prevent sexual harassment, including in fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) environments, more needs to be done.
“Despite a zero tolerance approach, the resources and energy sector still has a higher-than-average prevalence of sexual harassment in its workplaces,” AMMA chief executive officer Steve Knott said.
“The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has found 40 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment in the resources sector compared to 33 per cent across all industries.
“As a critical workplace health and safety matter, this issue is taken with the highest level of seriousness by industry leaders. A range of preventative measures have been implemented by employers to mitigate the risk of sexual harassment occurring in their workplaces.”
AMMA has introduced ‘inclusive safety audits’ to examine the actual and perceived physical and psychological safety of employers in the resources and energy sector, as well as other training programs such as Active Bystander Training and an Appropriate Workplace Behaviours course.
“Measures include ‘inclusive safety audits’ undertaken by independent experts, examining workplace facilities, policies, practices, rosters and other working conditions to ensure all employees feel safe and supported at all times,” Knott said.
“Employers are also undertaking significant training to educate and raise awareness of sexual harassment amongst executive leaders, managers, supervisors and all other employees.
“Training includes AMMA’s Appropriate Workplace Behaviours course which focusses on best practice policies and procedures, and Active Bystander Training which provides skills for bystanders to intervene when they see behaviour that is not acceptable.”
As part of AHRC’s 2018 survey into sexual harassment in workplaces, 24 per cent of employees in the resources and energy sector are likely to make a formal complaint about an incident of sexual harassment in the workplace – this is up from the 17 per cent average across all industries.
Knott believes the industry still has “a long way to go”.
“This inquiry will expose terrible and confronting examples of workplace sexual harassment that should never have occurred and serve as an ongoing reminder that no stone should be left unturned to stamp it out,” Knott said.
“In doing so the industry will build upon the great amount of work already being done in the industry as we continue on the journey of stamping out this scourge which has been a blight in too many workplaces for far too long.”