Suicide in the Australian Mining Industry: Assessment of Rates among Male Workers Using 19 Years of Coronial Data

This study explored the rates of suicide among male mining workers compared to those of three comparison groups: construction workers, mining and construction (combined), and all other workers.

Providing background:

·????????In 2019, 3,318 Australians died by suicide; 79% of those were of working age. This rate of about 80% has remained stable for the past decade

·????????Some industries are overrepresented. In the US, mining, quarrying, oil and coal extraction had the highest suicide rate – 54.2 deaths/100,000, compared to 27.4/100,000 for the overall group of working males

·????????A 2013 UK study found coal miners had the highest suicide rate of all occupations, with 81/100,000

·????????Australian evidence is said to be less clear. Queensland data associated that employment in mining was linked with a lower rate of suicide compared to other industries

·????????Another Australian study found coal miners had higher levels of psychological distress compared to a national sample of employed persons; higher psychological distress among workers at remote mines has also been observed in other research

·????????Men are at much greater risk of suicide compared to women. Mining is predominately men, therefore it’s expected that there is an inherently higher risk of suicide, coupled with a heightened environment of risk; e.g. culture of traditional masculine norms, some of which “are associated with poorer mental health [16] and increased suicidal ideation” (p194)

·????????Moreover, many mining workers are blue-collar and low-skilled workers, both of which are also correlated with higher suicide rates in some settings

Note: This study only explored suicide among men, as the authors state that only approximately 4% of suicide deaths in mining employees are women and hence, was not statistically feasible. I also don’t know how, if at all, non-binary people were accounted for as this wasn’t mentioned.

Results

Key findings were:

·????????The suicide rate for male mining workers was estimated as between 11 and 25 per 100,000 (but likely closer to 25) over the 2001 to 2019 period

·????????Evidence suggested that the suicide rate among mining workers is increasing, and the rate among mining workers for 2012 – 2019 was significantly higher than the other worker group

·????????Compared to comparison groups, suicide in male mine workers in the 15 – 24 age bracket was lower than comparisons, but higher than comparisons in the 25 – 34 and 35 – 44 age groups

·????????Across all evaluated industries, those employed in construction had the highest suicide rate (27.3 / 100,000)

·????????For 2007 to 2011, suicide rates among mining declined (similar to other comparison groups), but after this period, there was an increase in suicide deaths (2012 – 2019)

·????????The Incidence Rate Ratios for suicide was significantly lower in mining compared to all other workers, but significantly higher for construction workers

The authors suggest that suicide rates in mining may be underestimated, given how construction workers will predominate across other industries, including mining.

They talk about factors which may, in part, drive these trends. In mining, FIFO arrangements exceed those living in mining towns, and thus many mining workers are isolated from friends and family for long periods of time. This remoteness and isolation may increase risk of suicide.

It’s also possible that mining workers are exposed to psychosocial job stressors, like low job control and high job demands, which have been linked with increased risk of suicide.

Occupational injuries may also be a risk factor for suicides.

Link in comments.

Authors: King, T., Maheen, H., Taouk, Y., & LaMontagne, A. D. (2023). Safety and Health at Work.