Report examines suicides in the Australian construction industry

The University of Melbourne, in collaboration with MATES in Construction, has released a report examining suicide trends in Australian construction workers between 2001 and 2019.

A substantial proportion of males who die by suicide are of working age, with construction workers at an elevated risk compared to men in other workplace contexts.

Researchers from The University of Melbourne used retrospective case studies and data from the National Coronial Information System to compare data over time. Between 2001 to 2019 there were 4,143 suicides among identifiable construction workers (male and female) in Australia.

Suicide is also more likely to occur in younger age groups within the construction industry. The number of construction workers who have died by suicide under the age of 45 years is 11.6% higher than non-construction workers of the same age group.

The findings of the report will be used to better understand trends and inform the future development of MATES training programs to address the needs of Australian construction workers.

MATES in Construction, Mining and Energy delivers evidence-based suicide prevention and mental health programs to the building, mining, energy and construction industries. To date, MATES has delivered General Awareness Training to more than 225,000 construction workers in Australia, with further specialised connector training and ASIST training to a number of construction workers.