Creating mentally healthy workplaces

The MARS Program has funded a range of initiatives to improve mental health and wellbeing in the mining industry.

If you would like further information about any of these initiatives, or you are interested in getting involved in other aspects of the MARS Program, use the Expression of interest form below to provide your details.

The initiatives include:

• Thrive at Work in Mining Masterclass Series provides customised training and resources designed for senior Human Resources, Safety and Wellbeing Managers and Chief Executives in the mining industry.
  
  Thrive at Work is a ground-breaking workplace mental health and well-being initiative centred on designing work that supports employees, organisations and industry to thrive. Masterclass participants will be guided through the Thrive at Work framework to unpack how mining workplaces can support all employees to get well, stay well and be the best they can be.
  
  Three toolkits will also be developed to provide mining workplaces with practical tools to tackle known health and safety risks to mental health in the mining industry.
   
• Thriving in Mining provides customised training and resources designed for mining frontline managers and supervisors. 
  
  Training modules will cover key concepts of mental health, respect, alcohol and other drugs and legal and moral rights and responsibilities. An online version and an online learning platform to host the modules will be launched in 2023 to enable broad access to the training.
  
  The training modules will align to the existing Thrive at Work Framework, and utilise the Thrive at Work toolkit to embed the training into workplace practice. 
   
• Mentally Healthy Workplaces Grant Program provides funding for mining industry initiatives that:
  • prevent mental injury and mental health conditions at work by managing work-related psychosocial hazards and their associated risks, and
  • promote positive practices at work that support worker mental health and wellbeing.
• Successful grantees announced by the Minister in 2022 are: 
  • Resourceful Mind, which is a peer support training program custom designed for the mining industry, and is a partnership between Lifeline WA and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME WA).
    
    Resourceful Mind’s purpose is to reduce stigma about mental health, encourage people to seek help and support before they reach a crisis point, and to create accessible pathways for them to do so. Resourceful Mind is delivered 100% online to suit the mining industry and its workers. It uses a membership model which gives participants, called ‘Minders’ access to a suite of interactive and self-directed training, as well as skills development and coaching over a 12 month period.

    To get involved or learn more visit Resourceful Mind Program.

• Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) and FIFO Focus are in partnership to develop and deliver a comprehensive four day accredited program (issuing continuous professional development points) in workplace psychosocial hazard identification, assessment and risk mitigation. The program will upskill a cross-section of key individuals (leaders, health and safety representatives and workers) in the workplace to identify, assess and mitigate psychosocial hazards in a systematic and sustainable way, rather than reactively respond to existing issues or provisional improvement notices.
  
  The Grant allows AIHS to offer the course via a subsided-fee which will be used for the express purpose of reinvesting into extending the initiative by way of scholarships to be made available to participants to attend the course who are experiencing hardship or lack of available funds.
  
  To register to attend a subsidised course or to learn more, visit fifofocus.com.au/grant.

• MATES in Mining program is an integrated industry intervention program that:
  • raises awareness of suicide as a preventable problem;
  • builds stronger and more resilient workers;
  • connects workers to the best available help and support; and
  • partners with researchers to inform industry around best mental health practice.
    
    The MATES in Mining program provides suicide prevention through community development activities on sites, and by supporting workers in need through case management and a 24/7 help line. The focus is on supporting the workers in smaller mining companies and mining contractors in Western Australia, to ensure they have equal and appropriate access to mental health and wellbeing supports focused on suicide prevention.
    
    Information is available at: MATES - Industry-Based Suicide Prevention - Mates in Mining.

Codes of Practice – Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces

The Work Health and Safety Commission has developed Mentally healthy workplaces codes of practice, which focus on different psychosocial areas and where physical harms may also be experienced in a workplace:

• Violence and aggression at work
• Workplace behaviour
• Psychosocial hazards in the workplace
• Mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in the resources and construction sectors.

Resources – mentally healthy workplaces

The MARS Program team is working with a range of partners to achieve a whole-of-system change that supports mental health, wellbeing, respect and safety.  As part of this approach, services are available to individuals experiencing mental health or alcohol and other issues.

Other information and resources about mental health and wellbeing is also available, including ways for workers to support themselves and others.

Investing in the mental health of employees is a sound business decision, leading to increased productivity and business outcomes.

• Mental health and the workplace: how can employers improve productivity through wellbeing?

Information about mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and alcohol and other drugs.

• Think Mental Health WA
• Alcohol and Your health
• Strong Spirit Strong Mind

Support services and support lines for alcohol, other drugs and/or mental health

• Myservices
• Here for you 1800here4u (1800 437 348)

Mental Health Support Lines

• Mental Health Emergency Response Line 1300 555 788 (Metro) or 1800 676 822 (Peel) or 1800 552 002 (Country/Rurallink)
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Lifeline Crisis Text Service Text: 0477 13 11 14
• Beyondblue 1300 224 636
• YARN Lifeline Service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in crisis 13 YARN (13 92 76)