PNG Workplaces Adopt Gender-Smart Safety

The Papua New Guinea Business Coalition for Women is collaborating with 3 of the largest companies in
Papua New Guinea (PNG) to adopt Gender Smart Safety. New Britain Palm Oil Limited, Oil Search Limited,
and St Barbara’s Simberi Gold Company Limited are participating in a new training program that will help them improve safety for women on their worksites.
“Gender-smart safety is a relatively new field of work,” says the training facilitator Dr. Dean Laplonge.

“Employers are starting to see links between gender and safety in their workplaces. They are starting to understand how women often experience workplace safety differently to men. This is the first time
gender-smart safety has been implemented in a PNG workplace. It’s going to make the 3 participating
companies leaders in workplace safety for women.”
The training will commenced today in Port Moresby. Participants will learn about how Gender Smart
Safety works, and prepare to conduct an audit of women’s safety on their worksites. The facilitator will then visit each of the worksites of the 3 companies to help complete the audits. In June, the employees
will who are representing their respective companies in this integral training will meet again to discuss the results, and to develop a country-wide model policy and minimum standards for women’s safety at work. The 3 companies will set new targets for improving women’s safety on their audited worksites, and the trained employees will be able to measure improvements over time.
This initiative furthers the work undertaken by the Business Coalition for Women to promote safety for women. It has been developed in response to the recommendations from a study completed late last year which explored the types of resources that businesses need to ensure safety for women working in remote
locations in PNG. It is hoped the training can be offered to other member organisations of the BCFW
starting later in the year.
About the Business Coalition for Women The Business Coalition for Women works with businesses to develop and share good practices to recruit, promote and retain women employees. The Coalition is comprised of like-minded businesses who know
that gender equality is smart business.
Through the Coalition, PNG’s business sector is working to: Address Gender-Based Violence, Create
Gender Smart Workplace HR Policies, Develop Women into Leadership Positions across PNG’s private sector and, Create Opportunities for Women in Business Supply and Distribution Networks.
The Business Coalition for Women is an initiative of the Pacific Partnership. Australia, New Zealand and IFC are working together through the Pacific Partnership to stimulate private sector investment and reduce poverty in the Pacific.