Managing the risk of gender-based violence in construction — resources released

“Gender-based violence is behaviour that humiliates, intimidates or threatens a person because of their sex, gender, sexual orientation or because they don’t conform to gender stereotypes,” Safe Work Australia (SWA) said. “It includes physical violence, as well as sexual harassment, verbal abuse, bullying, and offensive languages and behaviours.

“Gender-based violence is a mental health (psychosocial) hazard that can occur in any workplace. However, certain workplace factors can increase the risk of it occurring if they are not effectively managed. In construction, these factors can include workforce characteristics such as a male dominated, young or transient workforce, work design such as high job demands, and organisational or environmental factors such as low job support or isolated work environments.”

Now, SWA has released a new set of resources intended to help employers identify, assess and manage the risks of gender-based violence in the construction industry.

To ensure they reflect specific WHS challenges experienced by women in the construction industry, the resources were developed by SWA in collaboration with construction industry stakeholders and include practical case studies, posters and infographics designed for use on construction worksites.

The resources are designed to raise awareness of what gender-based violence can look like on construction sites, the impact of these harmful behaviours and what employers must do to prevent them.

You can access the resources here, via the SWA website.

If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, 1800RESPECT has a 24/7 support service that can help; please call 1800 737 732.

Image credit: iStock.com/kali9. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.