BACKGROUND: Australia is one of the world's foremost mining nations. Over
the past decade, the number of resources sector employees has risen steadily. It is
increasingly suggested in lay press and popular discourse that mining
industry employees (the majority of whom are men) face an elevated risk of
suicide relative to the general population, and that suicide rates are
higher among mining industry employees relative to other occupations.
However, there has been no empirical evaluation of this proposal, which
impedes the ability to develop appropriate policy responses.
OBJECTIVE: This study begins to fill knowledge gaps, by providing the first
quantitative examination of suicide rates in the mining industry.
METHODS: Data from the Queensland Suicide Register were used to examine
suicide rates in the resources sector, relative to other sectors.
RESULTS: The mining industry was found to have lower male suicide rates relative to
other occupations and the working-age male population overall.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings do not support the view that mining industry employment is
necessarily associated with elevated suicide rates. Many factors, ranging
from individual personality characteristics through to workplace policies,
may contribute to this observation.
