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PERTH (miningweekly.com) – New research by Edith Cowen University (ECU) has revealed that fly-in, fly-out (Fifo) workers were twice as likely to suffer from depression, compared with the general Australian population.
In a survey of 629 Western Australian Fifo workers, some 28% exhibited significant signs of depression, compared with just 13% of the general population, lead researcher from the ECU’s school of business, Philipppa Vojnovic, said.
Fifo workers also exhibited higher rates of stress and anxiety than the general population and non-Fifo mining workers who live in remote and rural areas.
“There have been anecdotal reports that rates of suicide [are] higher among Fifo workers. While there are no statistics available on the rates of suicide in the sector, depression is clearly a risk factor for suicide,” Vojnovic said.
She said the study also identified certain groups within the Fifo sector that were particularly at risk of depression.
“Younger workers, aged between 18 and 29 were twice as likely to suffer from depression as their older colleagues. Additionally, workers with a university degree were half as likely to experience depression.”
The Western Australian government was currently conducting an inquiry into the mental health aspects of Fifo work arrangements in the state, following a number of suicide deaths among Fifo workers.
In November of last year, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy in Western Australia told the inquiry that assertions that the suicide rates among Fifo workers were higher, could not be substantiated.
The Parliamentary inquiry would be tabled on June 18.