“Don’t be a tool.”
The BC Construction Association (BCCA) hopes that an animated video program will communicate the message that it isn’t okay to bully on construction sites.
“It can help raise some conversation and awareness to this subject of hazing, harassment and bullying on construction work sites or, for that matter, other sectors,” said BCCA president Chris Atchison.
The association recently completed a year-long research project with Equity Project and found those three behaviours — bullying, hazing and sexual harassment — are a problem in the industry, CBC reported.
“Some of it is rooted in the history the macho-ism,” Atchison told the broadcaster. “We’re hoping that we can lead by example and correct some the stigma, some of the reality and some of the perceptions that still exist today.”
Approximately 180,000 people work in the province’s construction industry, though only about five per cent are women — something the BCCA wishes to change. The anti-bullying campaign is part of a larger Builders Code initiative to change codes of conduct in construction and improve workplace behaviour, the broadcaster reported.
“Construction is one of a few sectors that still suffers from a stigma at this time,” Atchison said. “We’re trying to attract young and under-represented groups that are not found as often as they should be in our industry.”
The association hopes that the percentage of women in the industry will increase to 10 per cent within the next 10 years.
“That might not seem like a lot to some people but, historically, our average has been less than five per cent,” Atchison said. “(We’re hoping to) make construction a workplace that’s suitable for all.”
