BHP leaders are visible in their commitment to safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces, but conversations about sexual harassment elimination are not yet normalised in the same way as physical safety prevention. Leaders have an obligation 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.  However, leaders often do not feel comfortable or capable of having these conversations, worrying that they will offend or retraumatise a worker who has previously been impacted by sexual harassment. As a result, safety conversations on sexual harassment prevention do not occur as frequently as those on physical safety hazards. However, sexual harassment is a material risk for the mining industry, and the changing expectations of society, regulators and BHP’s increasingly diverse workforce mean that these conversations are more necessary than ever.  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, supportive and reinforced by the everyday processes, systems and tools utilised for the prevention of physical harm.  

We saw an opportunity to leverage our existing global Field Leadership program. The program, which encourages the workforce to have safety conversations in the field and provide feedback to their leaders, is designed to fill the following gaps:  

• The ability to test sexual harassment critical control effectiveness through field leadership across our operating assets globally. 
• The capability of leaders to understand the changes, manage risks, and ‘walk the talk.’ 
• Field leadership resources and guides to specifically support sexual harassment controls.  

Filling these gaps required careful consideration. A consultation process was run with Subject Matter Expert representatives from Health, Safety, Security, Employee Relations, and several asset leaders. Furthermore, user feedback was utilised to ensure that the solution would be workable for them, aligned with their routines, and integrated with the systems they use. 

Thanks to these efforts, new tools, guidance templates, and support materials are now live. More specifically, these developments include:  

• Detailed templates outlining how to approach sexual harassment-related conversations without retraumatising previous victims or witnesses.  
• An addition to the Field Leadership database that enables us to regularly review the outcomes of these conversations, helping us understand how we can do better.  
• Coaching options that ensure appropriate in-person support is available to leaders. 
• Additional support materials accessible through BHP’s Respect Hub. 

Ultimately, our global Field Leadership program will ensure that there are regular workplace discussions about eliminating sexual harassment at BHP. When leaders consistently have these meaningful conversations with their teams, supported by practical tools, they role-model respectful behaviours, and promote a workplace in which people feel safe, respected, and included.