Harassment – a hazardous substance

Summary:

It is common knowledge that harassment and sexual harassment at work are widespread, but it is less well known that they also risk long-term damage to workers’ physical health.

 

What do the Royal College of Nursing¹, McDonald’s², the Red Arrows³ and the UK Parliament⁴ have in common? Answer: each has faced allegations of widespread sexual harassment (SH) in the workplace. Although high profile, these organisations are by no means special cases. As reported in this journal, 31% of female and 23% of male doctors responding to a survey by the British Medical Association had experienced unwanted physical contact in their workplace; while in a survey of UK surgeons, 63% of female respondents said they had been the target of SH in the previous five years⁵. A UK government report found …

Dr John Ballard is editor of Occupational Health [at Work]

Author: Ballard J

Tags harassment

Occupational Health at Work December/January 2023/2024 (vol. 20/4) pp03

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