BHP is committed to safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces, and our conversations about sexual harassment elimination are continuing to mature. Our leaders work to identify, prevent and appropriately respond to sexual harassment, unlawful gender-based discrimination and the underlying drivers. They must communicate prevention and response measures with their teams in a thoughtful way.  

Sexual harassment is a material risk for the mining industry. It is of fundamental importance to society, regulators and our increasingly diverse workforce. At BHP, we want to create a culture in which all leaders set clear expectations, role model respectful behaviours and eliminate harassment in a way that is sustainable, and aligned with the everyday processes, systems and tools utilised for the prevention of physical harm.  

Our global Field Leadership Program supports these important discussions. The program encourages our workforce to have engaging safety conversations in the field and provide feedback to their leaders. The program can be used to verify critical controls relating to a broad range of psychosocial risks, including sexual harassment.

User feedback has been utilised to ensure the solution is workable, aligned with routines, and integrated with the systems used. 

Thanks to these efforts, new tools, guidance templates, and support materials are now live. These resources include:  

• detailed templates outlining how to approach sexual harassment-related conversations without retraumatising impacted individuals or witnesses  
• enhancements to the field leadership database that enables us to regularly review the outcomes of conversations, driving continuous improvement  
• coaching options to make appropriate in-person support available to leaders  
• additional support materials accessible through BHP’s Respect Hub

Ultimately, our global Field Leadership Program is designed to support regular workplace discussions and the development of targeted resources is intended to ensure conversations include meaningful discussion about eliminating sexual harassment at BHP. When leaders are supported to have those discussions with their teams and role model respectful behaviours, they promote a workplace in which people feel safe, respected and included.