Dive brief:
- The third annual Construction Inclusion Weekan industry-led initiative to increase workforce diversity while eliminating acts of hate in the workplace has doubled in size again as it expands internationally, according to a press release.
- The event, which starts on October 16 and runs until October 20, has registrations from more than 5,000 companies this year, more than double the 2,345 companies it gathered in 2022, which was a two-fold increase over its inaugural year.
- Companies from every state in the United States and Puerto Rico have signed up as participants. In addition, companies from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, India and Ghana have joined. Organizers said the event in 2023 will reach more than 750,000 workers, including subcontractors, craftsmen and construction management professionals, at more than 6,500 project sites across the country.
Diving knowledge:
The increase in participation highlights the increased focus on hiring underrepresented groups in the industry while losing construction’s reputation as as an exclusion.
Modeled after the success of Construction Safety Week, the event began in 2021 in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd and the subsequent emergence of nooses in workplaces across the country. But this year’s event comes amid increased scrutiny of government officials over discrimination in construction.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission singled out construction as an industry concerned about discrimination and issued a scathing report earlier this year highlighting the heinous nature of hate speech on construction sites.
In one high-profile case, as many as eight nooses were found at the workplace of an Amazon distribution center in Connecticut in 2021. Although work at the site was eventually stopped and law enforcement officials they investigated, a A group of workers is now suing Amazongeneral contractor RC Andersen and subcontractor Wayne J. Griffin Electric, saying the companies did not do enough to eliminate the behavior in their workplace.
In order to change the unwelcoming tone that can develop in workplaces governed by a top-down hierarchy Turner Construction CEO Peter Davoren has compared to a traditional caste systemConstruction Inclusion Week encourages discussion, toolbox talks and open discourse between different levels of workers on the job site.
The event will be themed around different topics each day:
- Commitment and responsibility (Monday).
- Membership (Tuesday).
- Diversity of suppliers (Wednesday).
- Labor culture (Thursday).
- Community involvement (Friday).
Businesses can access free materials and content to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion on the CIW website. Video content will also be shared online and via social media throughout the week.
