There are compelling economic, social, cultural and humane reasons for
mining and resource companies to address mental health in their workforces
and in the surrounding communities. A legislative change to the definition
of ‘health’ in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act to encompass
psychological and physical health highlights the need for employers to
recognise the benefits of embracing proactive and supportive initiatives
in identifying and supporting workers' mental health.
In this article, Dr Jennifer Bowers, Chief Executive Officer of the
Australasian Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, peels away the
layers of stigma surrounding this vital issue. Dr Bowers suggests much
more rigorous, multidisciplinary research is necessary and that theoretical
knowledge, hard evidence and down-to-earth experiences must be
drawn together to drive a business case for mental health to become an
OHS priority in the sector.
MATTERSOFTHEMIND
Rising to the challenge of
mental health in the mining sector
DR JENNIFER BOWERS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
AUSTRALASIAN CENTRE FOR RURAL
AND REMOTE MENTAL HEALTH
The movie
Red Dog
,
released last year, is a warm-hearted, evocative
and instructive look at Australia in the mid-1970s. Set in the
Pilbara in the ore rich, north-west region of Western Australia,
Red Dog
,
among other things, serves to remind us of just how far
health and safety in the mining industry has come since the 1970s.
Fluoro shirts, steel capped boots, hard hats, eye protection, dust
suppression, inductions, pre-start safety briefings, and injury-free
day targets were not a feature of mining operations when Red Dog
was running around the Pilbara. These are more recent initiatives
which have contributed to a much safer mining industry.
It is generally accepted in the mining, resource and remote
construction sectors that improving the health and general wellness
of a workforce leads to improved morale, reduced absenteeism,
reduced staff turnover, improved productivity and increased
profit. The staggering amounts of money invested in Australia’s
resources sector and the imminent national harmonisation of
workplace health and safety legislation mean that companies have
to pay much closer attention to the occupational health and safety
of their workforces.
Unfortunately this attention is, more often than not, limited
to physical safety and physical health. With a few commendable
exceptions, mental health in mining, resource and remote
construction companies is either ignored or treated perfunctorily.
This is more than a pity. It is dangerous, and it is expensive. The fact
is, a box of brochures dumped in a crib room does not constitute an
integrated, sustainable, whole-of-business mental health strategy.
In fairness, the lack of understanding and commitment to
mental health is exacerbated by the fact that comparatively little
research has been done on mental health in this sector. That said,
there are some statistics which are instructive and from which
much can be extrapolated.
It is pretty well accepted that one in five people in the general
Australian population will have a mental illness every year. For
Australians who live and work in rural and remote Australia the
ratio falls to one in three.
Photo by Paul Parin, Studio Red Dust
MINESITE 2012
•
99