Job losses in Western Australia’s mining industry have created a climate of fear that makes fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers reluctant to seek help about mental health problems, according to a support service.
Julie Loveny from This FIFO Life outlined her concerns about the impact of the mining downturn when giving evidence to a parliamentary committee examining the issue.
The committee was established following concerns about suicide rates among FIFO workers.
It had previously heard workers were scared to report problems, but Julie Loveny told the committee the continuing job cuts had escalated those fears.
“That’s having a huge impact. I mean, I would say the fear around loss of jobs is across the board and is creating some massive stress and strain,” she said, after concluding her evidence.
This FIFO Life is funded by the WA Health Commission and runs a website with information and support services for FIFO workers.
An interim discussion paper released by the committee in November highlighted the importance of mining companies removing the stigma associated with raising mental health issues on work sites.
But the wave of cutbacks following the end of the mining construction boom has created the opposite effect, according to Ms Loveny.
“It actually just compounds the stigma and fears around mental health, which are high anyway,” she said.
“But you put a fear that you might lose your job as well, and it’s going to really make it tough for people to come forward.”
Ms Loveny said it was hard for workers to be confident their jobs would not be put at risk in the current climate.
“How would you know? If you came forward, and your job was then made redundant, you would never know, would you?” she said.
“And you would always wonder: Was it because I came forward and said I was struggling?”
FIFO workers reluctant to be honest in interviews
Ms Loveny said elevated fears over job security was also evident in those seeking work in the mining industry.
She said there was an equal reluctance to be frank in job interviews about mental health issues.
“People are actually not disclosing mental health issues in their job applications,” she said.
And based on feedback she has received from people in the industry making hiring decisions, that caution is well-placed.
“I hear regularly from managers that if they’ve got a broad choice of applicants, the one that’s disclosed, that they’ve suffered with depression, is probably not going to be the one you choose,” Ms Loveny said.
The committee was also told there were doubts about the effectiveness of one of the common company mental health support services, the employee assistance program (EAP).
Sue Crook from This FIFO Life also gave evidence to the committee hearing.
She said the low level use of EAPs had shown they were not a total solution.
“We know the uptake of EAPs is low. It’s a very small percentage of workers who access it,” she said.
This was particularly the case for workers in the highest risk group – men aged between 25 and 45.
“It’s not a model that a lot of men would use to talk to somebody, because that fits into the stigma,” Ms Crook said.
“That they’re somehow putting their hand up to say they’ve got a problem, they’ve got a weakness, they might be labelled as having a mental health issue.”
Ms Crook said more effort should be put into developing effective peer support programs.
The parliamentary inquiry is due to issue its report in June.