Helping workmates

By - , Build 158

Suicide rates in New Zealand are not declining, and there are calls for innovative solutions. Some companies are leading the way with suicide prevention programmes as part of workplace health and safety.

EVERY YEAR in New Zealand, approximately 75% of all suicides occur in men. More than half of them are men of working age. Men in this 20–65 age group are 10 times more likely to die by suicide than in a workplace accident.

Construction workers in vulnerable group

Those who work in trades, construction, fisheries, forestry and farming in New Zealand have higher rates of suicide than men working in other occupations.

Workplaces seem to be logical sites to deliver suicide prevention programmes and capture at-risk working-age men. However, to date, the New Zealand national suicide prevention strategy has not focused on suicide prevention in men or in workplaces nor on targeting suicide prevention to employee groups with high suicide risks.

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Queensland-developed programme

In some regions, this is changing with the introduction of a workplace suicide prevention programme modelled on the MATES in Construction (MIC) programme developed to address high suicide rates in the Queensland building industry.

MIC started as a workplace-focused programme with components delivered at construction sites or company offices. Significant commitment from building site management to the programme has been a key contributor to its success.

Management presence at training sessions signals top-down commitment to the issue of suicide prevention amongst employees, and the use of worksites and work time for training shows company willingness to invest in the programme.

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Benefits being seen in Australia

The Australian programme has a strong commitment to evaluation. Results show that, after the programme was implemented, the suicide rate in the Queensland construction industry declined. This was when there was no decline in suicide rates in males in other occupations in Queensland and when the overall suicide rate in Australia was increasing.

Economic analyses suggest that MATES is a feasible and affordable strategy to address suicide in the workplace with an estimated 4.6:1 cost benefit ratio. Benefits to employers also include improved workplace safety and productivity and fewer sick days.

On the basis of these and similarly encouraging results, the programme has expanded beyond Queensland to other Australian states and beyond construction to other industries, including mining. It now receives funding support from both state and federal governments.

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Programme introduced here

Based on the Australian programme, MATES in New Zealand (MIC-NZ) has been established with the goal of reducing suicide and improving mental health and wellbeing within New Zealand communities and workplaces.

Workplaces are underutilised sites for suicide prevention. Many people spend more time at work than with their families, and work colleagues may be in a better position to notice someone who is distressed or depressed and link them to appropriate help.

Suicide prevention skills learned in the workplace can transfer to home and to community organisations that employees belong to.

MATES has been introduced into a range of New Zealand workplaces over the last year including those in local government, roading and construction.

Participants in the programme, including union and employee health and safety committee representatives, health and safety managers, HR staff and managerial and executive staff, have been positive and enthusiastic about it.

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Won an award

An early adopter, electricity provider Netcon in Timaru recently won a Safety Leadership Award at the 2016 Site Safe Construction Health and Safety Awards in recognition of their implementation of the programme.

Consistent with best practice in suicide prevention, the MATES programme is not a ‘tick and flick’ programme. To be successful, it needs to be embedded into company health and safety culture as an ongoing investment.

The long-term goal is to change workplace culture around suicide prevention and to proactively link employees to help rather than react after a suicide occurs.

The programme teaches employees that suicide is preventable and provides them with the skills and confidence to recognise a workmate who may be depressed or distressed and link them to help.

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For more

Further information is available from Dr Annette Beautrais at [email protected] or mobile 021 77 590.

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

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