Fortescue Metals Group will help ensure Western Australian fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers continue to have access to critical mental health support and suicide prevention services under a partnership with Lifeline WA.
The partnership will focus on supporting mental health and wellbeing initiatives for FIFO workers by equipping selected team members on Fortescue sites with the skills and tools needed to support their colleagues.
Under the three-year partnership, Fortescue will also commit $750,000 to Lifeline WA’s suicide prevention services, including the training, professional development and support of telephone crisis supporters.
Fortescue chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines said the company is pleased to be joining forces with Lifeline WA to ensure it continues to deliver essential services which save lives across WA.
“Safety and family are at the core of our Values and this extends to the mental health and wellbeing of all our team members. This has been especially important through the COVID-19 pandemic as the Fortescue family has faced unprecedented disruptions,” she said.
“As we look forward to spending the festive season with family and friends, we also acknowledge that for many this can be a particularly isolating and stressful period and Lifeline WA often provides a critical path to reach out for help.”
Lifeline WA chief executive officer Lorna MacGregor said she is thrilled with this partnership with Fortescue, which will enable Lifeline WA to train more telephone crisis supporters to answer more calls for help and save more lives, in addition to helping to support the mental health of Western Australia’s mining sector, which faces unique challenges.
“We are encouraged by the commitment of Fortescue to the positive mental health of its workforce, and we know that by working together, we can spread the message that suicide is preventable, and help is always available,” MacGregor said.
Lifeline WA has faced an unprecedented demand for its services in 2021 with more than 64,000 West Australians reaching out for help, representing a 21 per cent increase on the prior year.
Lifeline WA provides all Western Australians experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. If you or your loved one needs to talk to someone, please call Lifeline WA on 13 11 14.