Working and living conditions for miners tend to be male-dominated with a workplace culture that reflects all the stereotypes of male behavior. Bullying is a common problem and lack of meaningful communication is a real issue among miners. In such a male-dominated workplace, miners sometimes feel unsure talking about their feeling for fear this might be perceived as a sign of weakness. Communication is key to dealing with mental health and a workplace culture of silence is a real obstacle to building a supportive and healthy work environment. Mining shifts are lengthier than those of most jobs – 12 hour shifts are common practice – and this can pose its own host of problems. There is evidence that long and irregular shift work can cause a variety of health problems for mining workers, including depression, anxiety and fatigue. Mining is physically demanding work and the nature of hard shift work can cause considerable mental strain. Substance abuse is a widespread problem throughout the mining industry. Drug and alcohol abuse is more common in male-dominated workforces, such as construction, manual labor and mining. Many workers turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of dealing with physical problems that stem from work, as well as the stress. For some miners, alcohol and drugs are a tool to handle the physical and mental toll of work and as a way to help them get back to work. This is obviously not a healthy way of dealing with personal issues but unfortunately it’s a common problem in the mining workforce. One tragic irony is that miners are more likely to encounter distressing, or traumatic events in the course of their job than the majority of workers, yet are less likely to seek psychological help. The workplace culture of mining is one of silence that does not suit mental health. How Poor Mental Health Among Workers Affects a Business It’s important to note that mental health is a complex topic and an employer is not solely responsible for their worker’s mental state. If a worker is experiencing feelings of depression or anxiety, these feelings may not be directly influenced by their job. However, workers, in particular miners, spend a large proportion of their time working so the work environment is definitely a major influence on a worker’s life. The detrimental effects of poor mental health among miners are clear. Even if you’re lucky enough not to have suffered from these problems, we can all at least imagine how destructive depression, fatigue and anxiety can be. As recent research shows, mental health problems among workers also impact on a company in a number of significant and tangible ways. According to a report conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper, costs associated with poor mental health include:- Absenteeism – Workers missing days of work.
- Presenteeism – Reduced productivity at work.
- Compensation claims based on mental health.
- Shorter sick leave periods.
- Fewer days missed by workers because of substance abuse issues.
- Increased productivity – increased number of hours worked, improved resilience, increase in goal attainment.
- Reduction in compensation claims.
- Reduction in turnover.
- Lower management costs.
- Lower insurance premium costs.
