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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432990

Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: A qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders

Provisionally accepted
Sarah Vrankovich Sarah Vrankovich 1Sharyn Burns Sharyn Burns 1Cheryl M. Yam Cheryl M. Yam 2Sharon K. Parker Sharon K. Parker 2Jacqueline Hendriks Jacqueline Hendriks 1*
  • 1 Curtin University, Perth, Australia
  • 2 Centre for Transformative Work Design, Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The prevalence, pervasiveness, and minimization of sexual harassment and sexual assault (SHSA) within the Western Australian mining industry has been revealed in recent Australian reports and inquiries. However, there remains a gap in scholarship focusing on SHSA within the mining sector, specifically that engages with mining employees to understand this issue. Methods: This study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the experiences and perspectives of Western Australian mining employees in relation to SHSA. Through qualitative research methods, stakeholders (n=30) from various industry roles (e.g., front-line operations, administrative staff) participated in semi-structured interviews. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data.The study revealed diverse perspectives of SHSA among participants, highlighting how this issue is understood, addressed, and discussed within the workplace. While some participants recognized positive shifts in workplace culture, it became apparent that additional efforts are needed to tackle the underlying and persistent factors that contribute to sexism, misogyny, and, ultimately, SHSA. Participants shared their perspectives regarding strategies and initiatives that could effectively combat SHSA within the industry. Discussion: This study constitutes a significant contribution to the limited body of research on SHSA in the Western Australian mining sector, offering valuable insights and recommendations for future prevention initiatives.

    Keywords: mining1, harassment2, assault3, Sexual Violence4, Qualitative5, Australia6

    Received: 23 May 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Vrankovich, Burns, Yam, Parker and Hendriks. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jacqueline Hendriks, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.