Domestic Violence Is a Workplace Issue - Especially in the Trades

Domestic violence doesn’t stay at home.

It follows people into their jobs, their job sites, their crews, and their communities - and for a long time, we’ve pretended it doesn’t.

In the trades, where our work is built on safety, teamwork, and trust, we cannot afford to ignore the reality that violence at home directly impacts safety at work. And yet, we do. Every day.

For many tradeswomen, including myself, domestic violence isn’t an abstract concept - it’s something we’ve lived through, something that reshaped our careers, and something that still shows up in places it should never be allowed to exist.

My Story - and Why This Matters to Me

I survived domestic violence at the hands of someone who also worked in the trades - someone employed by a large, well-known company in our industry. At the time, I believed I was the only one. I believed I was the exception.

But I wasn’t.

I was the first woman he harmed - but over the years, I learned that I was not the last. After I left, after I rebuilt, after I started speaking publicly about the realities women face, especially in this industry, I heard from others. Women who had also been targeted. Women whose lives had also been put at risk. Women who confirmed what I already knew deep down: these patterns don’t stop on their own.

When the person harming you works in the same industry - sometimes under the same employer, sometimes on the same job sites, sometimes only one referral away - the violence follows you.

It shadows your workdays.

It heightens every safety risk.

It becomes something you navigate alongside job calls, apprenticeship hours, and the pressure to prove yourself in an industry that isn’t built for you in the first place.

And this isn’t rare.

It’s just rarely talked about.

When Home Isn’t Safe, Work Isn’t Safe

Domestic violence affects every part of a person’s life:

• Their ability to focus

• Their mental and physical health

• Their attendance

• Their emotional regulation

• Their safety

• The safety of everyone working beside them

When someone is living through violence, they show up to work exhausted, scattered, hyper-aware, or emotionally overloaded. They may be dealing with court dates, police reports, or threats - while still being expected to work in high-hazard environments where one moment of inattention can cost a life.

And when their abuser works in the same field, the overlap becomes impossible to ignore.

When Abusers Are in the Industry Too

This is the part the trades rarely say out loud: Domestic violence perpetrators - including repeat offenders - are employed across this industry.

Many are long-term employees.

Many are protected socially or professionally.

Some bounce from site to site.

Some escalate without anyone intervening.

The impact doesn’t end with the women they harm.

It becomes a workplace safety issue, a team culture issue, and a liability issue - one that puts entire crews at risk.

This is not a “private matter.”

It is a workplace hazard.

The Trades Are Changing - But Not Fast Enough

With more women entering this industry, we have to confront what happens when an industry fails to acknowledge that home and work are connected - especially in a field as tight-knit and interconnected as the trades.

Domestic violence must be understood as:

• A workplace safety concern

• A mental health concern

• A retention concern

• A precursor to workplace violence

What Employers Can Do - Starting Now

1. Implement Domestic-Violence-Informed Safety Policies

Not as an HR formality, but as part of the safety program.

2. Train Supervisors and Safety Leads

They’re the first line of noticing red flags.

3. Provide Confidential Reporting Options

Survivors won’t come forward if the process isn’t safe.

4. Assess Employees With Patterns of Violence

Background checks alone are not enough.

5. Support Survivors Without Penalty

Paid leave, flexible schedules, and real protections.

Why I’m Sharing This

Because I know what it feels like to survive something you shouldn’t have had to survive.

Because I know what it feels like to learn that he didn’t stop with you.

And because I refuse to stay quiet when other women are still navigating the exact danger I once did - alone.

Domestic violence is not off-the-job.

It’s a workplace issue, a trades issue, and a culture issue - and we have a responsibility to address it.

If you’re in the trades and experiencing domestic violence:

You are not alone.

Your safety matters.

And your workplace has a duty to prioritize you - not the person harming you.

Read more about My Survivor Story (EVAWI - End Violence Against Women International) here: https://evawintl.org/survivor-voices/brooke-laing/

Resources & Support

Canada

• Canada-wide Shelter & Support Search https://sheltersafe.ca

• Canadian Women’s Foundation – Support & Education https://canadianwomen.org

• Government of Canada: Family Violence Resources https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence.html

• Kids Help Phone (24/7, all ages) https://kidshelpphone.ca

• Ontario Assaulted Women’s Helpline (24/7) https://www.awhl.org

United States

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7) https://www.thehotline.org

• Futures Without Violence https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org

• RAINN (sexual violence and crisis support) https://www.rainn.org

International

• UN Women – Global Resources & Support https://www.unwomen.org/en

• International Directory of Domestic Violence Agencies https://www.hotpeachpages.net

• Women’s Aid (UK) https://www.womensaid.org.uk

• Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria (Australia) https://www.dvrcv.org.au