Level 2, 679 Murray Street
West Perth WA 6005 Australia
PO Box 1124, West Perth WA 6872
T:
+61 (0)8 9485 1040
F:
+61 (0)8 9485 1050
www.traffordresources.com
ASX:
TRF
Given there are about 250,000 Australians and 112,000 Western
Australians directly employed in the mining, resource and remote
construction sectors, the one in three ratio means that about 83,000
or 37,000 respectively will suffer some sort of mental ill-health
every year.
This stands to reason. While people working in remote mining,
resource and construction operations are well rewarded financially,
they are also challenged psychologically and emotionally. They
work in high-risk, harsh, unattractive surroundings; they are
exposed to extreme weather and weather events; and they endure
a paucity of services. As well, fly-in fly-out (FIFO), compressed
rosters and long absences from friends and family can and do lead
to mental health issues.
Alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, depression, anxiety, social
isolation and the risk of suicide are often ignored in the pursuit of
individual income and company profits. As if this is not enough,
research suggests a person with compromised mental health is 41%
more likely to have an accident at work.
The annual cost of mental illness in Australia has been estimated
at $20 billion which includes lost productivity and workforce
participation. Therefore, it can be assumed that the cost to Western
Australia would be in the order of $2 billion.
Twenty nine per cent of absenteeism and reduced productivity
is due to physical health problems, but it is not generally known
that 47% of absenteeism is due to mental health issues. Then
there is presenteeism – the practice of coming to work despite an
illness, injury, or compromised mental health. Lost productivity
from presenteeism is seven and a half times greater than the loss
from absenteeism.
These statistics speak for themselves.
Notwithstanding high-profile media campaigns in urban centres,
there is much more to mental ill-health than depression. Other
common mental health disorders in rural and remote Australia
include anxiety, acute stress disorder, social phobias, destructive
thinking and substance abuse disorders. These conditions can and
do lead to relationship breakdowns, social alienation, personal
misery and, in extreme cases, suicide.
The particular challenges of addressing mental health in mining,
resource and remote construction operations are compounded by
stigma, popular myths and the stoic ‘macho’ culture which prevails.
Unlike women, men are not given to sharing confidences, especially
if they are running away from domestic, financial, occupational
and/or legal difficulties.
FIFO and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) is also emerging as a
significant element underpinning mental health problems in
the sector.