FIFO construction workers in WA at high risk of taking own lives, study finds
In short:
A survey has found WA construction workers experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours at three times the national average, with fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out workers particularly at risk.
Former FIFO worker Aroha McCormack, who lost a friend and colleague to suicide almost four years ago, says many struggle with the isolation and whiplash between life on the job and at home.
What's next?
UWA researchers are calling for more targeted mental health interventions in the construction industry.
Aroha McCormack had just come off a night shift when she heard the news her friend had taken his own life.
WARNING: This article discusses mental health, self-harm and suicide, and contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of his family.
Jye "Wombat" Keen had been on his week off from his fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) job.
"I'd only spoken to him a few days prior and there was no indication," Mrs McCormack said.
"Obviously there was a lot of pain in his life that he didn't show."
Jye Keen was a proud Noongar man, West Coast fan, and grandfather. (Supplied: Michelle Keen)
Mrs McCormack met Mr Keen when they were both driving trucks on mine sites in the Pilbara.
She said she believed many workers struggled in silence with the isolation and whiplash between life on the job and at home.
"It's still a culture where [mental health] is not really spoken about," she said.
"We work in a very dangerous environment and mentally we have to be 100 per cent to be able to manage the long hours and being away from our family."
Mrs McCormack said many FIFO workers who had sacrificed time with family in order to financially support them were now finding the money was not stretching as far.
On top of that, she said the threat of job cuts hung over their heads like never before.
"The resource industry is turbulent … so there's a constant turnover of people losing their jobs and there's a lot of stress in that," Mrs McCormack said.
Aroha McCormack recently visited her friend's memorial for the first time. (ABC South West WA: Bridget McArthur)
The FIFO toll
More than 16 per cent of WA's workforce were in mining and construction as of the 2021 Census.
A recent survey found workers in the state's construction industry, which intersects with a range of sectors including mining, experienced suicidal thoughts and behaviours at three times the rate of the average adult Australian.
The study by University of Western Australia (UWA) and MATES in Construction showed those in FIFO and drive-in, drive out (DIDO) roles in the state's construction industry were at significantly greater risk of psychological distress compared to their peers in fixed locations.
Five per cent of DIDO construction workers and 2.4 per cent of FIFO workers had attempted suicide in the past 12 months, compared to 0.3 per cent of the general population.
Joseph Carpini says FIFO and DIDO workers often contend with isolation and disrupted social patterns. (ABC News: Aran Hart)
They also experienced higher rates of loneliness, bullying, work-life conflict and presenteeism, along with often reduced rates of support from supervisors, colleagues and loved ones.
"Those particular roles can have a lot of social isolation or disrupted social patterns, in terms of our major support groups," UWA researcher Joseph Carpini said.
The data was sourced from surveys of more than 1,743 construction workers in WA representing civil, resource, commercial and residential construction industries in a variety of regional and metropolitan locations.
The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) WA said it had been consistently advocating to companies about the need for more work-life balance in FIFO rosters.
Union organiser Michelle Sheehy said there were also several smaller site issues workers regularly faced that had a cumulative negative effect on their mental health.
"[There are] ongoing issues to do with food, the lack of gym access … the lack of WiFi access, so they couldn't contact their families," she said.
"Companies need to look at all these kinds of things and take it seriously because together it has a big impact."
The UWA findings follow a 2023 University of Melbourne study that found the suicide rate among mining and construction workers in Australia was twice as high as in other industry groups.
Chris Oates says men's sheds offer FIFO workers social connections and projects to help them unwind. (ABC Pilbara: Charlie McLean)
Promoting social connection
One finding that offered some hope from the latest report was the power of social connection to mitigate the risk of suicidal ideation.
Chris Oates lives in the mining town of Paraburdoo, more than 1,500 kilometres north of Perth and says men's sheds have had a positive impact in isolated communities.
"It gives you that place to go and talk to other men," he said.
"You're working 12 hours a day … it's fairly isolated, it's a very hot place — you just need something else to do."
Dr Carpini said promoting social connection was something employers needed to explore for the workplace.
He said establishing buddy systems for apprentices, who were particularly at-risk of suicidal ideation, was one strategy organisations could explore.
Dr Carpini called for explicit state-level policies to prevent employers from discriminating against workers with mental health issues.
He said there were also opportunities for individuals to make a difference by learning to identify people in psychological distress and starting a conversation.
"Everybody should feel empowered to have that very difficult conversation with people because it literally can save their lives," Dr Carpini said.
Mrs McCormack has designed a series of journals specifically for FIFO workers and their families. (ABC South West WA: Bridget McArthur)
Wombat's legacy
Since leaving FIFO work earlier this year, Mrs McCormack has returned to graphic design to create a series of journals specifically for FIFO workers and their families.
The books include mental health tips, work-out plans, gratitude entries, savings goals and resources for those looking to seek help.
Mrs McCormack said she wanted to encourage more workers to write down their thoughts and feelings in the hope that they might eventually feel ready to speak to someone.
"My goal is to try and help other people so they don't feel alone," Mrs McCormack said.
"The books are dedicated to [Wombat] and it's a way of remembering him."
Mrs McCormack taking a few moments to reflect on her friend Jye Keen at a memorial his family made. (ABC South West WA: Bridget McArthur)
She recently visited his memorial for the first time since his death.
A stone slab marked the spot where her friend often used to come on his days off and where he spent his final moments.
On and around the slab were a collection of mementos — a small statue of a wombat, a West Coast Eagles cap and fold-out chair, an old T-shirt, and now a toy truck.
Sitting next to it, Mrs McCormack watched a plane fly overheard.
"That'll be taking workers up to the mines," she said.
"He used to make me laugh so much … I don't think he realised just how much he was loved."