Preventing work-related suicide

This page discusses suicide, suicidal behaviour and related workplace incidents. Some readers may find this content distressing. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000. If you need support, consider contacting a crisis support service or someone you trust.

Understanding suicidal behaviours

Suicidal behaviour is a broad term that encompasses suicide, attempted suicide and suicidal ideation.

• Suicide – when a person intentionally ends their own life
• Suspected suicide – when it is suspected a person intentionally ended their own life, but a coroner has not yet made that determination
• Suicide attempt – when a person attempts to intentionally end their own life, but survives
• Suspected attempted suicide – when it is suspected that a person attempted to intentionally end their own life, but they survived and have not yet communicated that they were attempting suicide
• Suicidal ideation – contemplations, wishes or preoccupations with the idea of death and dying.

Contributing factors

The interaction of organisational, work environment and individual factors may increase the risk of suicidal behaviours.

Organisational and work environment factors can include:

• Workplace culture – ‘horseplay’ and ‘hazing’; reliance on alcohol for socialisation; low importance placed on workers monitoring each other’s moods and behaviours; stigma around help-seeking behaviours; and unhealthy norms around workloads and resilience.
• Policies and procedures – poor change management practices; inadequate disciplinary processes, lack of robust reporting and consultation mechanisms; inadequate management of exposure to vicarious trauma or objectionable material.
• Information and training – lack of understanding among leaders of the nature, drivers and signs of suicidal behaviours; lack of training on how to respond to disclosures; lack of awareness among workers of available support.
• Work environment – aggression or violence from clients or members of the public; easy, unmonitored access to means one might use to hurt themselves; exposure to traumatic events (for example, by prison officers, first responders and defence personnel).
• Lack of opportunity for connection with peers – working in isolation; transient workforces (such as in construction and transport).
• Poor work design – work that is designed in a way that introduces (or fails to manage) psychosocial hazards, such as low job control, sustained and severe job demands, emotional demands and cumulative stress.

Individual factors can also increase the risk of suicidal behaviours. A worker may be at higher risk if they:

• are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or asexual (LGBTQIA+)
• are from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
• have a pre-existing physical health condition
• have a pre-existing mental health condition, a predisposition towards impulsive behaviour, or have previously attempted suicide
• are experiencing financial hardship, relationship breakdown, bereavement or another significant loss.

Risk management

Employers have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers while they are at work. This involves eliminating or minimising risks to health and safety, including risks arising from psychosocial hazards that may contribute to work-related suicide or suicidal behaviours.

Employers must apply a risk management process by:

• identifying the hazards that may result in harm
• assessing the likelihood that someone will be harmed by suicidal behaviours 
• implementing control measures to eliminate or minimise risks
•  monitoring and reviewing control measures regularly to ensure they remain effective. 

Suicide attempts may occur privately, may not be visible in the workplace, and may only become known if a worker discloses the attempt or seeks medical treatment. For this reason, employers should proactively manage psychosocial risk that can lead to suicidal behaviours. 

Identify hazards and assess risks

Risk factors arising from design or management of work and the work environment must be considered as part of psychosocial hazard identification. Relevant considerations include:

• Previous incidents – Have there been previous incidents of workers attempting or dying by suicide in this workplace? If so, how often and where? What contributory factors may still be present?
• Related workplace trends – Are there patterns in workplace data that may indicate emerging or ongoing psychosocial risks? This could include trends in absenteeism, turnover, grievances, complaints, workers’ compensation claims, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) use, incident reports, fatigue, conflict or reports of harmful behaviours.
• Harmful behaviours – Have there been reports of other harmful behaviours in this workplace? This could include sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, violence, aggression, hazing, horseplay or any other behaviour that may make a worker feel weak, unwanted, hopeless or suicidal.
• Workplace factors – Are there workplace factors which may increase risk? This could include low diversity in the workforce, lack of autonomy, consistent solitary work, poor supervision, limited peer connection or sustained exposure to high job demands.
• Risks across teams or work groups – Are risks concentrated in particular teams, sites, roles, shifts or work groups? Are there work groups with repeated exposure to psychosocial hazards, harmful behaviours, conflict, trauma, isolation or poorly managed change?
• Industry-specific risk profile – Does the industry or operating environment have a known or foreseeable risk profile for suicide or suicidal behaviours? This could include exposure to traumatic events, high-risk decision-making, community isolation, fly-in fly-out or remote work, client aggression, enforcement activity, custodial environments, emergency response work or employer-provided accommodation.
• Access to means – Do workers have access to means that could be used for suicide or serious self-harm, including through the physical work environment, equipment, vehicles, chemicals, weapons, medication, heights, isolated locations or accommodation facilities? Are these access points monitored and controlled so far as is reasonably practicable?
• Training – Have workers received practical, evidence-based training appropriate to their role, including how to recognise signs that someone may be thinking about suicide, respond safely to disclosures, and escalate concerns to appropriately trained personnel or emergency services where there is an immediate risk?
• Reporting – Are there adequate channels to report harmful or suicidal behaviours, without fear of discrimination or repercussion?
• Responding to disclosures – Are there appropriate escalation pathways to adequately manage disclosures of suicidal behaviours? Are supports available for people receiving disclosures?

Gathering information

When assessing psychosocial hazards that may contribute to the risk of suicidal behaviours, gather information from a range of sources, such as:

• Data analysis – Analyse workplace data including sick leave utilisation, exit interview data, workers’ compensation applications, grievances, HR records and incident reports. You can also review data on EAP usage. Is the service being used? How many workers are using the service as a form of crisis intervention compared to those using it as a preventative ‘check in’?
• Observations – Observe the workplace culture to identify attitudes or behaviours that may be harmful to help-seeking and help-giving, and are accepted as the norm.
• Risk assessments – Conduct regular confidential risk assessment surveys to measure and evaluate the duration, frequency and severity of worker exposure to gendered violence, bullying, aggression or related inappropriate behaviours that may contribute to suicidal behaviours.
• Consultation – Consult with health and safety representatives (HSRs) and worker representatives, if you have them, about whether concerns have been raised by workers.

As part of a preventative approach, where workers may be at risk of harmful behaviours, employers are encouraged to examine the physical work environment and review work systems and practices that could contribute to increased risk or psychological harm. Investigate any workplace cultural issues that may increase risk of harm, such as derogatory statements or catcalling.

Eliminate or control the risks 

Employers are not expected to take on a clinical role in assessing or treating suicide risk. However, employers must take reasonably practicable steps under work health and safety laws to identify and manage workplace risks to the physical or psychological health of workers, including risks associated with suicidal behaviours. This includes eliminating or minimising risks arising from work systems, work practices, the physical work environment and psychosocial hazards, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Employers should implement controls to address all identified organisational, work and environmental factors that may increase exposure to psychosocial hazards. This includes taking into consideration those workers and groups who may be at greater risk of exposure. Establish systems to monitor the effectiveness of these controls and to make changes as necessary. 

Manage disclosures appropriately

Provide workers, managers and leaders with practical information, instruction and training that is appropriate to their role. This should include how to recognise signs that a person may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, how to respond to disclosures in a safe, confidential and trauma-informed way, and how to escalate immediate risks. Managers, supervisors, and other responders should understand the limits of their role, provide initial psychological first aid through listening, reassurance and practical support, and refer workers to professional or organisational support. Guidance, training and referral pathways should also support witnesses, first responders and others affected, and promote a consistent response across the workplace.

Establish a positive culture

Establish and maintain a psychologically safe workplace culture where disrespect and isolating colleagues is unacceptable. Cultivate a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, driven from the top, with managers and leaders actively modelling positive behaviours, help-seeking and support for mental health.

Work design and flexibility

Employers should consider adapting or redesigning work to assist workers navigating psychologically impactful events. This may include approving leave, providing a flexible working schedule, providing extended breaks, or putting them in touch with other support services as required.

Share positive messaging on mental health

Encourage positive messaging around good mental health and mental health supports. This can include toolbox talks, third-party presentations, mental health support information displayed in common areas, peer support training and trauma-informed ‘safety alerts’ after a psychosocial incident. It is critical that this is perceived by the workforce as a genuine effort, and not tokenistic.

Implement supportive policies, procedures and systems

Implement workplace policies and procedures that aid in the identification, support and management of a worker with suicidal ideation. Any mental health crisis policy or procedure should be adequately distributed, supplemented by training where appropriate, and reviewed and followed by workers so that it has a real-world impact.

Ensure that policies for managing a worker after an incident of suicidal behaviour support workers at risk of trauma from witnessing suicidal behaviours, but are not unintentionally discriminatory. For example, a policy may be discriminatory if it requires a worker to be removed from site after expressing suicidal thoughts even if they have stated they would feel safer remaining at work.

Consider workplace design

Consider how workplace design, location and work arrangements may affect workers’ connection, privacy, support and access to help. This may include hybrid work arrangements, working from home, office design, geographically dispersed teams, isolated roles, and workers who may be physically present but socially isolated within a location.

For remote worksites, consider the design of accommodation and recreation facilities. For example:

• locating the mess close to accommodation to support regular eating routines
• providing sufficient laundry facilities so workers do not need to stay up late waiting for a machine
• providing adequate communication infrastructure so workers can contact family and friends easily and privately.

Share information

Information about a worker’s suicidal ideation or psychological injury should be managed sensitively, confidentially and with the worker’s involvement. Information should usually be shared with the worker’s knowledge and consent, and disclosure should be limited to the minimum necessary to manage risk, provide support, meet legal obligations or coordinate an appropriate response. Information may need to be shared without consent where there is a serious and imminent risk to the worker or another person, or where disclosure is required by law.

Employers should have clear procedures for deciding when information can be shared, who needs to know, what information is necessary, and how the worker will be informed and involved where possible.

While maintaining confidentiality, share enough information to:

• manage and support the worker and any other affected parties, such as witnesses, support persons, peers and first responders
• facilitate effective intervention and assistance for the worker
• review hazards, risks, control measures and action taken
• comply with legal and reporting requirements, including incident notification requirements under the WHS Act.

Provide training, information and instruction

Provide workers, managers and leaders with practical information, instruction and training that is appropriate to their role. This should include how to recognise signs that a person may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, how to respond to disclosures in a safe and trauma-informed way, and how to escalate concerns to appropriately trained personnel or emergency services when there is an immediate risk. Policies and procedures should clearly identify the limits of each person’s role and the pathways for seeking further support.

Monitor and review hazards and controls

Regularly review psychosocial hazard analysis and related controls to ensure they remain effective, and that changes in culture, diversity and work-related contributors are identified and appropriately addressed where practicable. Consider the use of a subject matter expert or validated tool to support the risk assessment.

Incident response

Read about responding to incidents of suicidal behaviour in the workplace.