COLUMNS | safety

Discussions on gender in the min-ing industry are generally limited tothe under-representation of women inthe workforce and the “glass ceiling”they encounter. There seems to be anassumption that safety has nothing todo with gender: we are not taking gen-der seriously. However, I believe we doso at our own peril. Many differentresearch methods have been used toinvestigate the relationship betweengender and risk, and the conclusionsare always the same: men take morerisks than women.

The skewed notion of a “real man”Despite the rise in popularity over

the past decade of the groomed-to-perfection so-called “metrosexual,”the Rambo culture of invincibility anddestruction remains strong. From anearly age, boys continue to learn thatdisplays of strength will help themavoid ridicule and that they will bemore accepted if they have big mus-cles, can cope with pain, compete andwin. This machismo does not alwaysend when he exits the playground, as“real men” tend to search for occupa-tions where the work, location, payand industry reputation can feed theirdesire to appear masculine – and Ibelieve that mining is one such indus-try. Although women have been work-ing in the sector for centuries, miningis still largely seen as a man’s world.Within that world, the man who

wants to appear the most masculinemay be inclined to take risks, asrequests for assistance or displays offear can be perceived as a sign of weak-ness. The problem is that this “realman” version of masculinity is notagreeable with the safety standardsdemanded by today’s mining culture.

Tackling sensitive issuesIn social contexts where masculin-

ity can potentially promote at-risk

Worth the debateGetting serious about the connection between gender and safety� Dean Laplonge

behaviours, we have witnessed thedevelopment of targeted solutions. Forexample, in the area of road safety,there are advertisements aimed specif-ically at young men, utilizing imagesand language that resonate with them.In sports – where we regularly hear ofdisrespectful behaviour by players offthe field being exhibited towardswomen – peer-mentoring programsare being used to change how menrespond to each other’s behaviours. Inthe mining industry, however, myexperience has been that training pro-grams generally only make vague ref-erences to discrimination andworkplace sexual harassment. We iso-late our discussions about gender toconcerns about women, making littleattempt to address how otherwisesocially accepted masculine behav-iours may be putting people at risk. Whenever you investigate gender,

you must be prepared to tackle sensi-tive issues relating to bodies, power,equality and sexuality. The companies

most likely to see an impact on theirsafety culture are those that will avoidquick-fix solutions, not opting for atwo-hour training session or pop-psy-chological responses. I am consistentlyasked to deliver this kind of trainingand I always refuse. You cannot put agroup of men in a room for a fewhours and expect they will emergebehaving differently.The resource industry needs to pay

attention to how their business sys-tems and processes, recruitmentstrategies, internal communicationmethods, and even the physicaldesign of their mine sites contributeto the development of a gendered cul-ture in which not all seemingly “nor-mal” masculine behaviours areconsidered safe.

An issue to be taken seriouslyIn 2008, I launched the “Mining

for a safer masculinity” project. In ourresearch and site-based work, we havebeen able to test some innovative

80 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 6, No. 6

Seeking input from mining employees about their experiences of dealing with “toughness” in the workplace.

Cour

tesy

of R

esou

rces

Saf

ety

Divi

sion

, Dep

artm

ent o

f Min

es a

nd P

etro

leum

(Wes

tern

Aus

tral

ia)

safety | COLUMNS

solutions to gender issues facing themining industry. Although the solu-tions have not always been perfect,one fact consistently emerges: compa-nies are not taking the issue of genderseriously.Many companies have a vision that

makes some reference to diversity, butfew appear to have a plan in place thatensures this vision becomes reality.They lack awareness of how to inte-grate gender diversity throughouttheir operations, as they do not under-stand the importance of “mainstream-ing” gender to ensure it is not just asideline cultural topic of little rele-vance to the workplace. In my experience, the strategies for

dealing with gender equality are rarelyplanned, and the result is that littlegets done. I have witnessed gender-related issues being handed over to asummer student who uses Google asher only aid to learn about gender inthe workplace. I have heard a minemanager inform his leadership teamhe wants 30 per cent of its positionsfilled by women within two years; andhe expects the male members to sup-port this without dissent. I have also been surrounded by 100

underground miners, listening to themscream abuse because their managerhas introduced me as somebody whocan teach them how to be “bettermen.” One man declared: “You try tochange us and we’ll walk.” Thisoccurred at a place where a fatality hadrecently occurred and where a manapproached me with tears in his eyesto confess he had not hugged his wifein years because of the impact theworkplace culture was having on him. The mining industry may not be

the most dangerous industry inCanada, but 85 per cent of its work-force is comprised of men. So, if we are

serious about safety, we need to startthinking seriously about gender.This industry needs people who

are willing to recognize their own vul-nerabilities. It needs workers who

understand the limits and fragility oftheir bodies and who understand theconnection between what it means tobe a man in this world and what itmeans to stay safe. CIM

September/October 2011 | 81

Published in CIM Magazine, September/October 2011 issue.

Reprinted with permission of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum

www.cim.org

Conduct a gender review. Use an established methodology to helpidentify areas of strength and weakness when it comes to mainstream-ing gender throughout your business. This process involves conductinginterviews, completing document reviews and holding focus groups withkey personnel to reveal what needs to be done to ensure your companyoffers a gender-fair workplace.

Pilot a gendered behaviours mentorship program with a few crews orworkplace teams at mine sites: this approach has proven to work excep-tionally well with male sports teams. It is a focused attempt to help menforgo assumptions about gender and to find newer and safer ways ofbehaving.

Provide participatory training for safety personnel to ensure theyunderstand the link between gender and safety. They will then be betterequipped to recognize and respond to at-risk behaviours.

Encourage your leadership team to engage in some awareness train-ing and to learn about how gender impacts the workplace. This is not asolution, but it is an important way of fostering dialogue.

For the above to work, a company needs to commit time and money. It isimportant to enlist the help of experts to get the process started, as they canset you on the right path and provide the skills to sustain a company’sefforts.

TIPS FOR ADDRESSING GENDER ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE

author Dean Laplonge is a leading researcher in the field of gender in male-dominated contexts. Through the cultural research consultancy Factive, he heads up theMining for a Safer Masculinity project. Laplonge continues to work with miningcompanies and industry bodies throughout Australia and Canada to address genderissues in the mining industry. He currently also holds an adjunct senior lecturer positionat the University of New South Wales.