EngineerHer

Yes, Amber Czech is who I will be speaking about today. Or typing. You know what I mean.

For those who don’t know, Amber Czech was a welder in Minnesota, who was killed by a co-worker, in her workplace on 11 November 2025. Yeah, less than a month ago as I write this.

If today’s topics are too much for you, please skip this one. I won’t be just talking about Amber, although I believe firmly she deserves to be spoken about. I will be speaking about some of the broader issues that many women in male-dominated workplaces face and why even now, in the 21st century, we are faced with challenges no one should ever have to face just trying to do a job.

(Hint: sexism and patriarchy. That’s the why, but we’ll explore it further)

Who is Amber Czech?

Amber Czech was born in 2005. She was 20 yrs old this year. She was born 3 years after I started my career as an engineer. She played basketball in high school. She was a welder and taught welding at her old high school on the days she had off from work.

She did everything we want women to do – considered a career that truly interested her, without thinking about it being male dominated.

She is reported as being the kind of person who did things right or didn’t do them at all.

By all accounts, she is exactly the kind of woman in engineering we hold up to as an example to young women and girls thinking of joining engineering as a career. (If you don’t think welding is engineering, you’ve never seen a truly skilled and talented welder at work. Those people solve more problems than are ever created…)

It’s a short section, isn’t it? To show the detail of a woman’s life? And let’s face it, I know women are killed all over the US, and all over the world, every day. And I don’t write about it all the time.

This woman was a woman in engineering, who was killed in her workplace, by a colleague. That’s why I’m writing about Amber.

What happened?

Apparently, Amber was working at her welding station, when a co-worker (and no, I’m not giving him the decency of naming him, the news reports are doing that enough) walked over with a sledgehammer and bludgeoned her to death.

His excuse?

He just didn’t like her.

He’s apparently been planning this for some time, he told police afterwards.

He was 40 to her 20. She was, quite literally, half his age, and he couldn’t cope with her just working, doing her job, to the point where he had to end her life. On camera. The judge has requested a test for mental competency…

And don’t bother telling me he didn’t know there were cameras. In the modern workplace, there’s always cameras. When we’re trying to have private conversations in work, we joke about sweeping the place for bugs – but only cos we know there probably are bugs of some description, it’s just no one bothers listening…

Why bother writing about this?

Because this is the end result of the discrimination, violence and assault many of us women in engineering face in our careers. Thankfully not usually to death, not in Ireland at least. But women in the US have come out in force talking about how many incidents of harassment, assault, violence, they have faced.

When Amber Czech was born, I was working in a space where violence wasn’t only a threat, it was a reality. I’ve spoken to two other women engineers in the last week alone who have faced similar issues.

Male coworkers have, in the past, felt that I was the perfect punching bag, literally and metaphorically. If not a punching bag, then I must be available for any and all sexual contact.

#NotAllMaleCoworkers – of course not. And not at all in the last decade or so. Actually a bit longer than a decade now. But I’ve lived this reality.

And women all over the US are having the conversation right now about how often this happens. While that conversations is focused on the trades, as opposed to the office, it happens as often, just in different guises.

What can be done?

Reporting to HR can only do so much. While modern HR departments deal with things like bullying far more seriously, in many places the hangovers from the times when it was laughed off as “messing”, “joking around” or, the always useful “boys will be boys” still linger.

I’ve often said I will back any woman going to HR on issues like this (yes and men as well, but it happens far less often with men…) but for myself, I wouldn’t go to HR without video evidence that I knew couldn’t be tampered with and at least 5 witnesses. Because otherwise, it’s too difficult to prove the incident(s) happened. And the stress of the investigation, the whispers, the rumours of what the victim did to “ask for it”…

There is a growing movement in the US to add workplace violence to risk assessments. It’s such an issue they’re not even bothering just limiting it to women, they’re just plain, straight out saying it’s enough of a risk to add to the risk assessments carried out (or meant to be) in all workplaces.

Think about that for a minute. This is such a trend in the workplace in the US that the EHS folk are recommending it be dealt with at a risk as serious as falling from height…

Supporting women

The first thing you can do is treat women who speak about this like they’re telling the truth.

The stark reality is, that if a woman is speaking about violence in the workplace, especially in a male dominated one, they’re speaking the truth.

Listen to what they say. Just because I’m not in a workplace now that is rife with violence, doesn’t mean I don’t notice and be aware of the actions, words and reactions that warn me of certain people.

Hyperawareness like that doesn’t just go away. Even years and years after you leave a bad workplace.

If a woman says she feels unsafe – listen to her. Don’t wait for her to end up like Amber Czech. Don’t laugh it off. Take it seriously.

There are men I have worked with that I would never, ever willingly be alone in a room with. There are men I have worked with that have proved they are not to be trusted through their actions. I don’t want other women going through the same.

But in male dominated industries, there’s just a higher risk.

Not every woman suffering workplace violence will be killed because of it. But is that really the bar we’re going for? Really?

If you are enduring workplace violence?

Document every single incident. I don’t care if it’s a notebook, an app on your phone, whatever it is – document every. Single. Incident.

No matter how small.

Talk to people. If you have a trusted co-worker, go talk to them. Ask for the best way to deal with it. Reach out to your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if you have one. That’s anonymous and no one will know in your workplace that you’re the person who spoke about workplace violence.

Get medical assistance when you need it. Don’t hide the bruises and hope there’s no internal damage. If you can get medical assistance, get it. If a coworker tries to “explain away” incidents, don’t let their story be the one recorded. Make sure you take active part in any investigations going on – to the best of your ability.

Get support. Somewhere, somehow. There will be other women on site – or should be. If there aren’t, reach out to your professional organisations and someone will listen.

Much of the time, the issues arise when trying the legal route – there are law people out there who will help you. Again – professional organisations or EAP can help here.

If you can do nothing else, talk to someone. If all you can do now is share your story, but you can’t go public with it – send an anonymous email to info@engineerher.org.

If no one else will, I will read, I will listen.

You’re not alone.