The Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) has released a Position Statement warning employers, regulators and policymakers that they must recognise the harm that workplace racism can cause to workers' health, wellbeing and sense of safety.
The AIHS’s recent survey of members revealed the reality that many workers are subjected to, with two-thirds of respondents having either experienced or witnessed racism in the workplace. Despite this high proportion of exposure to racism, nearly half of respondents reported that racism is rarely or never acknowledged as a health and safety issue in their workplace.
Racism in the workplace manifests in various forms—from overt acts like racial slurs and discriminatory treatment to subtler microaggressions, unconscious biases, and structural disadvantages. Behaviours that are offensive, humiliating, intimidating or exclusionary create a hostile environment that can seriously impact workers' mental and physical health. According to the AIHS, racism is a preventable hazard that causes psychological distress, physical harm, and social and economic disadvantages, emphasizing the importance of recognizing it as a genuine occupational health and safety concern.
AIHS Chair Celia Antonovsky said there was a troubling gap between what workers are experiencing and how Australian workplaces are responding. She notes that many organizations treat racism as a personal issue rather than a collective responsibility. "Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected at work, but for many people, that is not their reality," she states. "Whether people experience racism themselves or see it happening to others, it can take a toll on both their mental and physical health. It can also hold them back in their careers and limit their opportunities, which often has a ripple effect on their families and communities."
Employers have a legal obligation to maintain safe workplaces, which includes safeguarding workers from psychosocial hazards like racism. The AIHS warns that organizations allowing racial discrimination without intervention are not only harming employees but also failing to meet their legal and moral duties.
Despite the high level of support among survey respondents for including racism as an OHS issue (79% believe racism should be addressed through workplace safety systems), only 8% report current management of racism via existing OHS processes. This contradiction highlights a significant gap between what is needed and what is being done, with Ms. Antonovsky commenting, "You can't create a genuinely safe workplace if people don't feel comfortable speaking up or fear being treated differently because of who they are."
In their position statement the AIHS recommends several key actions, including:
- · Explicit recognition of racism as a psychosocial hazard with legislation and regulatory guidance to define racism as a hazard that employers must identify and control.
- · Strengthening leadership accountability and training.
- · Better reporting processes and improved consultation with workers to ensure workers feel safe to speak up without fear of retaliation.
- · Amending work health and safety laws to establish a positive duty for employers to prevent race discrimination, aligning with broader obligations under anti-discrimination laws.
Addressing workplace racism as an OHS issue will require a collective effort from employers, regulators, policymakers, and workers. Prevention of workplace harm is the goal, rather than reaction, and the AIHS emphasizes that fostering workplace cultures rooted in respect, inclusion, and psychological safety is essential to achieve this goal. This involves moving beyond traditional anti-discrimination policies and cultural awareness training toward higher-order controls that address systemic drivers of racism and mitigates the associated risks.
Building a safe environment also requires addressing the role of third parties—clients, customers, contractors—whose behaviours can contribute to the risk of racism. Employers must extend their responsibility beyond internal policies to manage external influences that impact workplace safety.
Ultimately, the goal is to create workplaces where everyone can thrive free from racial discrimination—a fundamental aspect of genuine workplace safety and wellbeing.
Read more: AIHS Position Statement - Understanding Racism as a Workplace