By Rebecca Todesco, Editor, Mining Magazine
Creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming workplace environment is paramount to the long-term wellbeing, happiness and success of employees. The mining and resources industry has recently come under scrutiny for reports of concerning behaviour in regards to racism, sexual harassment and bullying, prompting governments and mining companies to launch programs to tackle these issues.
Mining has long been considered a male-dominated industry but recent figures from the latest Queensland Resources Council (QRC) gender-diversity data reveal that a record number of women are working for mining and energy companies. Women now represent 22 per cent of the workforce, up from almost 20 per cent in 2022.
In order to continue building the female workforce in the mining and resources industry, mining companies and mine operators need to ensure they are providing safe and inclusive workplaces and environments. More than just making the industry more welcoming to women, it’s crucial that the industry focus on creating an inclusive and diverse environment for minority groups as well.
A mining company that has decided to take action is Rio Tinto, launching its Everyday Respect Taskforce and ordering a comprehensive external review of its workplace culture, in efforts to create a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace. A mining giant that has followed this example is BHP, recently announcing that it was reviewing its policies, processes and behaviours to prevent racism in its workplace.
Everyday Respect Taskforce
Rio Tinto commissioned an independent review of its workplace culture in 2021, in the hopes of better understanding, preventing and responding to harmful behaviours across its global operations. Published in February 2022, Report into Workplace Culture at Rio Tinto identified concerning instances of sexual harassment, racism, bullying, and other forms of discrimination throughout the company.
Conducted over eight months, the study explored 10,000-plus peoples’ experiences, views and insights via an online survey. Additionally, close to 140 individual written submissions, more than 100 group listening sessions, and 85 private individual listening sessions were conducted to better understand employees’ experiences.
The report outlines 26 recommendations to stamp out harmful behaviour throughout the company, with suggestions encompassing bullying, women’s experience, racism and LGBTQIA+ discrimination. The recommendations will guide the work Rio Tinto is undertaking to respond to and prevent unacceptable workplace behaviour and discrimination across its operations over the coming years.
Tackling the issue at a government level
It’s not just mining companies that are taking action on mitigating these issues. The Western Australian Government launched the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program in 2021 – a four-year research and evaluation project that is striving towards the goal of creating safe, respectful workplaces.
The program aims to achieve this goal by focusing on three key areas:
♦ Creating mentally healthy workplaces by promoting positive practices at work that support mental health and wellbeing, and managing psychosocial hazards
♦ Constructing a culture of respect and safety with healthy, inclusive, respectful, safe and gender-equitable workplaces
♦ Preparing for workplace safety in future mining by making sure workers are educated and trained in safety, encouraging safety innovation in new technologies, and addressing emerging risks
The program accompanies other work that the Western Australian Government is doing to tackle sexual violence and is a collaboration between the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, the Mental Health Commission, the Equal Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Communities.
Reporting on current practice
In September 2022, as part of the MARS Program, the Towards a healthy and safe workforce in the mining industry: A review and mapping of current practice report¹ was published, detailing data collection and analysis on the significance mining companies place on ensuring the mental health, dignity and physical safety of their employees.
The report highlights some of the challenges that are unique to the mining industry that can pose risks to the wellbeing of workers, including remote working and travel, shift work, temporary accommodation, exposure to health and safety hazards and the male-dominated nature of the workforce.
The analysis of the state of workforce wellbeing as explored in the report showed a higher share of employees are satisfied with their jobs now than 15 years ago, however the number of very satisfied workers has reduced.
According to the report, despite being in the top five industries in regards to workers with excellent or very good selfreported physical health, the sector has the lowest share of very satisfied workers compared to other industries. In addition to this, the number of the sector’s employees reporting high or very high levels of psychological distress has increased significantly over the past decade.
The results from this report are in no way definitive and underscore the fact that further empirical research and surveys are necessary to get a clearer picture of workers’ experiences in regards to mental health in the industry.
Have your say and create a better future
One of the MARS Program’s more recent initiatives is the launch of a new Landmark Study Worker Survey by The Centre for Transformative Work Design in April 2023. It is hoped that the study will give insight into workers’ experiences in the mining industry in Western Australia.
Workers across the industry are being invited to take the survey, encompassing direct employees, contract workers, professional staff, office workers, managers and labour hires. Participants will be asked questions covering their experiences and perceptions across the MARS Program’s three focus areas.
This is an opportunity to contribute to the evaluation and understanding of the Western Australian mining industry, and to provide information that will help shape recommendations for positive change.
The feedback gathered will be utilised by The Centre for Transformative Work Design to guide the evidence-based recommendations it will make to the State Government. The survey is anonymous and will be available until the end of May 2023.
In order for an industry to be successful, its workforce must also be successful, happy, and well. Building safe, inclusive, and diverse workplaces and mitigating racism, bullying and sexual harassment leads to improved mental health and wellbeing for employees and is a task being undertaken across a variety of industries.
There is no silver bullet for solving these kinds of issues: what’s important is the continued efforts of the mining and resources industry to understand workers’ experiences to better inform future initiatives and programs.
Footnotes:
- Report prepared for the Western Australian Government by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre: Towards a healthy and safe workforce in the mining industry: A review and mapping of current
practice. https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2022-11/MARS_LMS_Preliminary_Report_1.pdf
