When Harm Happens at Work

On Construction Sport, Jan spoke about being assaulted at work and why the industry must redefine safety to include dignity and accountability

By Jan Cruickshank

On the Construction Sport podcast, Jan spoke candidly about being assaulted at work, the isolation that followed, and why the construction industry must redefine safety to include dignity, accountability and protection from harm.

I was invited onto the Construction Sport podcast to share something deeply personal and, for many, hard to hear: the reality of being assaulted at work, then silenced. In that conversation, I spoke openly about what happened, the toll it took, the isolation that followed, and the ongoing struggle for accountability and justice.

This wasn’t just another workplace issue - it was a moment that forced me to confront how we, as an industry, treat serious harm when it happens within our ranks. Too often in construction, we talk about safety in terms of hard hats and harnesses - and that matters enormously - but we leave out the human element of safety: respect, dignity, and protection from abuse.

In the podcast, I describe how the experience changed my life, and why speaking up isn’t about criticism for its own sake - it’s about the urgent need for better support, clearer accountability, and a culture that doesn’t default to silence or minimisation when someone is harmed.

I’m sharing this because if one person listening feels less alone, or if one organisation starts a conversation about real change as a result, then it’s worth it.

Our voices are not noise - they are momentum.