When it comes to decreasing sexual harassment in the mining industry, physical security is a huge deterrent for unwanted advances.
The first step is to create a safe work environment for all employees. A possible solution could be Implementing a physical security service that can help enhance employee safety in the workplace and to address sexual harassment in the mining industry.
Increasing camp patrols:
Camp patrols are designed to provide safety through deterrence, detection and response. Camp patrols can be conducted by the emergency services team which are usually very busy and are pressed for time. By engaging a security service they can help maintain safety at the camps, which allows your emergency services team to do what they do best and deal with emergencies.
Mining companies in Australia have been encouraged to increase their camp patrols as a way to deter violence, theft and other forms of crime. A report has found that the introduction of this strategy has reduced incidents at camps by more than 20%
Introducing new policies to limit alcohol consumption on site:
The introduction of a policy to limit alcohol consumption on site in the mining industry is a positive step towards improving workplace culture. However, it is important to consider the negative implication this could have on employees' health and wellbeing.
In fact, recent research has shown that an employee's mental health can be negatively affected by an inability to drink at work. This is because alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress and trauma in the workplace, which can lead to increased anxiety and depression among employees.
When limiting the amount of alcohol that employees are allowed to consume you create a "black market" where people are more likely to bring in alcohol in their suitcases or get people to bring them in from towns. This can cause issues with violence and unauthorised people entering site. Issues such as these can be difficult to control without patrols noticing small changes or vehicle tracks in areas they shouldn't be. Without security you may notice these things but how do you control them?
Security can be an integral part of your game plan but it isn't a quick fix that removes all these problems. This should be part of an overarching strategy that is supported by management. If the supervisors and management aren't role models for the strategies that are put into place, the employees will not follow them.
If you would like to discuss this further please reach out to one of our team via the details below and they will be more than happy to help discuss a solution that is tailored to suit your needs.
0404 449 326
References:
Community Development and justice standing committee.
Enough IS ENOUGH - Sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry
Presented by Ms L.Mettam ,MLA
https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/commit.nsf/(Report+Lookup+by+Com+ID)/EF1DF1A3F5DF74A848258869000E6B32/$file/20220621%20-Report%20No%202.pdf
Centre for transformative work design
Impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers
Report produced for the WA Mental health commission
https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/media/2548/impact-of-fifo-work-arrangement-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-of-fifo-workers-summary-report.pdf
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