The state’s mining industry has thrown its support behind a campaign to reduce the risk of sexual harassment, discrimination and violence at South Australian mine sites.
About 40 senior managers representing all major South Australian mines gathered at BHP’s Adelaide headquarters on 29 September to share information and gain a deeper understanding of industry best practice.
Speakers at the event included BHP’s Chair of the Olympic Dam Inclusion & Diversity Council Cu Phan, SafeWork SA Compliance and Enforcement Director Glenn Farrell and Association of Mining and Exploration Companies General Manager (South Australia) Sam Panickar.
As part of the campaign, SafeWork SA has also published fresh guidance on the issue on its website to remind mine operators and industry stakeholders of their obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 and suggest potential controls.
The agency’s inspectors will also conduct mine site audits across the state in the coming months to ensure risks are being appropriately managed.
BHP’s Olympic Dam mine is the largest in South Australia and the company is considered to be an industry leader in the state.
Cu Phan, who is also BHP’s General Manager Engineering & Non-Processing Infrastructure at Olympic Dam, said the recent forum was an excellent opportunity to bring together representatives from mining companies in South Australia to share good practice and initiatives.
‘Everyone has a right to be safe at work,’ he said.
‘At BHP we know this is about more than eliminating accidents and injuries – it is also about ensuring our people are safe from sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination, racism, bullying and other disrespectful behaviours.’
The proactive campaign follows a series of scathing reports into sexual harassment, discrimination and violence in the Australian mining industry and coincides with October’s National Safe Work Month.
Major mining company Rio Tinto released its Report into Workplace Culture at Rio Tinto in February 2022.
The report found that bullying was systemic within the company and sexual harassment occurred at unacceptable rates.
The Enough is Enough report tabled in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in June 2022 found that sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry represented ‘a failure of the industry to protect its workers’.
‘The only effective way to address this abhorrent behaviour is to bring it to the surface, to talk about it, point it out, expose it, rail against it, prosecute it and punish it,’ Community Development and Justice Standing Committee Chair Libby Mettam wrote in the report.
SafeWork SA Executive Director Martyn Campbell said sexual harassment, discrimination and violence were work health and safety risks as well as crimes under other legislation.
‘Worker’s being exposed to sexual harassment, discrimination and violence is unacceptable,’ he said.
‘Every workplace needs to control the risk of inappropriate behaviours towards workers leading to psychological injury.
‘Recent reports into the mining sector have highlighted the need for mine operators to take a leading role in controlling inappropriate behaviours in the workplace.’
Further links