The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also known as N.I.O.S.H., recently conducted a survey of 213 female construction workers in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The team consisted of Linda Goldenhar, Ph.D., and her colleagues. The team looked at several stresses consisting of harassment, including gender-perceived control over the job, amount of training received, work conditions, safety climate, job security and exposure to hazardous or unpleasant conditions. Their findings were very disturbing. They found that 41% of the women surveyed said they had been mistreated, because of the fact that they were women, 34% reported a co-worker or supervisor making unwanted sexual references and 16% said they experienced unwarranted physical contact from male co-workers, including sexual contact. A total of 94% of women construction workers surveyed experienced some type of sexual harassment. Regarding non-sexual harassment, 37% said co-workers or supervisors insulted them on the job, 10% reported their work was vandalized and another 10% reported that they had been threatened physically. Kimberly Salvatore, a 42 year-old mother of three and a site engineer for C.R. Klewin Northeast, a construction company in Norwich, Conn., said

"With some men, it's kind of a joke that we're here. You have to be pretty tough to last, but it's worth it."

Goldenhar also studied the associations between these stresses and psychological symptoms, job satisfaction and on-the-job injuries. She found that harassment was the one stress associated with all three. The women who experienced more psychological problems also reported more harassment and less control on the job. Those who were satisfied with their job experienced less harassment, safer work climates, less exposure to hazardous conditions and more control. Those who reported fewer injuries said they also experienced less harassment.

Training on issues dealing with harassment is warranted in the construction trades.

"Training interventions might be designed to teach and enhance the communications skills of workers,"

Goldenhar noted. She also said that

"training might...include role-playing to emphasize appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior on the construction site."

Unless workers undergo training, sexual harassment will continue unchecked. Without training, women may not have the tools to realize that they are being harassed and will not know what to do about it. Men also need training in order to understand that harassment is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Although this study proves that sexual harassment is still a big problem, associations like N.A.W.I.C. help to keep it at a minimum. The N.A.W.I.C., the National Association of Women In Construction, represents a unique cross section of women employed in all levels of construction. Although the number of women in construction has increased four percent, women are only 9.6% of the construction industry workforce today. The N.A.W.I.C. works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Associated Builders and Contractors to promote training among women. They also cooperate in continuing education programs and promoting women-owned businesses.

In 1953, sixteen working women organized Women In Construction, also known as W.I.C., in Fort Worth, Texas. Today there are more than 6,500 members across the United States. Members of the association range from business owners, executives, subcontractors, managers, attorneys, architects, engineers, accountants, and various trades of construction. The main goal of W.I.C was to create a support organization for women employed in the construction industry. W.I.C. gained national charter in 1955 and is thus known as the National Association of Women In Construction, N.A.W.I.C.. Through 41 years of service to its members N.A.W.I.C. has advanced the causes of all women in construction.

Contrary to what most may think, building contractors are looking for women who are handy with a hammer. Robert Moorhead, the spokesman for the National Center for Construction Education and Research in Gainesville, Florida, says

"the industry is just dying for people. We don't care what kind, man/woman, whatever. They just need to have skills."

Most are fooled by the image of all construction workers being big husky guys who like to lift heavy metal and dig ditches. Fortunately though, technology has eliminated the problem of upper body strength weaknesses in women. Dennis Day, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors, points out that

"a lot of the heavy lifting requirements have been made obsolete through machinery. The person doesn't have to break their backs."

Sexual harassment continues to be huge problem facing many women in the workplace. Hopefully with organizations like N.A.W.I.C. and N.I.O.S.H., this problem will soon begin to disappear. Without such groups sexual harassment will remain a hidden problem. These organizations are focused on the education of all people in the workplace in order to bring about increased awareness.

Below are a list of websites which have to do with sexual harassment: