The Hidden Cost of FIFO: Mental Health in Remote Mining Operations
Australia’s mining sector employs roughly 277,000 workers across some of the continent’s most remote landscapes. For a significant portion of that workforce, the daily reality involves flying hundreds — sometimes thousands — of kilometres from home to spend weeks at a time on site before rotating back. This fly-in fly-out (FIFO) arrangement has become a defining feature of the Australian resources industry, particularly across Western Australia’s Pilbara and Goldfields regions and Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
The financial rewards are well documented. Average annual earnings for FIFO roles now sit around $141,000, and demand for skilled workers continues to outpace supply. But there is a cost that rarely appears on a balance sheet: the toll that prolonged isolation, compressed rosters and separation from family and community take on mental health. In this article, we examine the scale of FIFO mental health challenges in Australian mining and explore what the industry can do to address them.
Understanding the Scale of the Problem
The mental health challenges facing FIFO workers are not anecdotal. They are measurable, well-researched, and — critically — growing.
A peer-reviewed study published in Safety and Health at Work analysed 19 years of coronial data from the National Coronial Information System and estimated that the suicide rate for male mining workers in Australia sits between 11 and 25 per 100,000, and is likely closer to the upper end of that range. The same research found evidence that suicide rates among male mining workers are increasing, even as rates among males in most other workplace categories show some decline.
These figures are reinforced by findings from the MATES in Mining suicide prevention program, which revealed that suicide rates in the mining, construction and energy sectors are approximately 80 per cent higher than in the general Australian population, with 190 deaths by suicide reported each year.
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The Western Australian Government’s Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program Landmark Study, conducted by Curtin University’s Centre for Transformative Work, surveyed more than 2,500 workers and delivered sobering results. Thirty per cent of mining workers reported high or very high levels of psychological distress, 38 per cent reported feeling burnt out at work, and one in three mining workers experience regular emotional exhaustion. Only around four in ten workers reported feeling satisfied with their jobs.
Research published in PLOS One examining psychological distress across four metalliferous mine sites found that moderate to very high psychological distress was significantly more prevalent among mining workers (44.4 per cent) compared to the general population (27.2 per cent).
Based on figures obtained from the Minerals Council of Australia, between 8,000 and 10,000 employees are estimated to experience a common mental illness such as anxiety, depression or substance use in the New South Wales minerals industry alone. The costs to the industry — including lowered productivity — are projected at between $320 million and $450 million per year, or around $300,000 to $400,000 for an average site of 170 people.
Why FIFO Work Creates a Perfect Storm
The nature of FIFO work concentrates several well-established risk factors for poor mental health into a single employment arrangement.
Isolation and Social Disconnection
Geographical isolation is the most visible challenge, but it is the emotional isolation that tends to do the greatest damage. Workers on compressed rosters — common configurations include two weeks on and one week off, or four weeks on and two weeks off — find themselves separated from partners, children, friends and the familiar routines that anchor everyday life.
Research into the experiences of FIFO workers and their families has found that the constant cycle of departure and reintegration creates its own form of psychological strain. Workers often struggle with the transition phase of reintegrating into family life after weeks away, and this constant adjustment can lead to higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. Communication and trust issues are common, and workers have reported a reluctance to access formal support services.
The isolation is compounded by the physical remoteness of mine sites. While telecommunications infrastructure has improved, many sites still offer limited connectivity, making it harder for workers to maintain meaningful contact with home. The Western Australian Code of Practice for mentally healthy FIFO workplaces specifically identifies good quality accommodation and internet connectivity as vital for keeping workers in touch with family and social networks.
Fatigue and Roster Compression
Extended shifts — typically 10 to 12 hours — combined with consecutive working days create cumulative fatigue that goes well beyond simple tiredness. The Western Australian Government’s 2018 research, which informed the FIFO Code of Practice, identified work demands — including repetitive or monotonous tasks and excessive demands exacerbated by long hours or consecutive working days — as significant psychosocial hazards for FIFO workers.
Sleep disruption is particularly problematic. Rotating between day and night shifts interferes with circadian rhythms, and the harsh environmental conditions of many mine sites — extreme heat, dust, and noise — make restorative sleep difficult even during designated rest periods.
Stigma and Reluctance to Seek Help
The mining industry’s workforce demographics amplify the challenge. Approximately 80 per cent of mining workers are male, with a median age of 41 years. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that suicide rates are consistently three to four times higher for males compared to females, and people in the 30–44 age group are among the highest age brackets for dying from suicide.
Research consistently shows that FIFO workers are less likely to report mental health problems compared with other workers, likely due to the stigmatisation of mental health that exists in the industry. Workers have reported reluctance to access formal support services, partly out of concern about perceived weakness and partly because of uncertainty about confidentiality in close-knit site environments.
Limited Access to Professional Support
Even when workers do seek help, access can be a barrier. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data on mental health services, eight in ten psychologists, nine in ten psychiatrists, and three-quarters of mental health nurses work solely in major cities. This leaves a significant gap in service provision for remote and regional areas where mining operations are concentrated. Age-standardised rates of suicide also increase in line with increased remoteness and have increased steadily over time for all areas except major cities.
The Regulatory Landscape Is Shifting
Regulators are increasingly treating psychological health with the same seriousness as physical safety. Western Australia has been at the forefront of this shift.
The state’s Code of Practice for mentally healthy FIFO workplaces — Australia’s first of its kind — provides guidance on creating and maintaining a mentally healthy workplace through promoting good health and wellbeing, applying risk management processes to psychosocial hazards, and developing intervention strategies for workers experiencing work-related stress.
In 2024, WorkSafe WA released a draft updated code expanding on the original framework. The new code sets out the specific characteristics of FIFO work arrangements associated with mental health impacts, including:
- Limited opportunities for meaningful social interaction at employer-provided accommodation
- Job insecurity linked to labour hire and contracting arrangements
- Inappropriate workplace cultures and behaviours
- Accommodation arrangements that disrupt rest and recovery
The Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), which commenced in March 2022, equally applies WHS duties to physical and mental health and safety, making compliance with psychosocial risk management a legal obligation rather than a discretionary initiative.
What Leading Operators Are Doing Differently
Some mining companies are moving beyond minimum compliance to embed mental health support into their operational models.
Mineral Resources (MinRes) became the first resources company in Western Australia to deploy a team of in-house mental health counsellors across its mine sites. The company’s Mind Matters program places seven qualified mental health clinicians at MinRes-operated sites, with a roving counsellor also supporting client sites. Counsellors work on a roster that mirrors FIFO patterns — four days on site and three days in Perth — to provide accessible support both during rotations and during time off.
Programs such as MATES in Mining provide peer-based suicide prevention training, equipping workers to recognise warning signs in their colleagues. Other initiatives including TIACS (a free counselling service tailored to blue-collar workers), FIFOFOCUS, and Resource Minds offer a mix of online counselling, self-help tools, and education programs.
The MARS Program has also expanded its scope through PhD scholarships at Western Australian universities, funding research into how psychological capital — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism — can improve psychological safety in the mining industry.
Practical Steps for Mining Operations
Addressing FIFO mental health requires a systematic approach rather than a collection of ad hoc programs. The available evidence and regulatory guidance point to several priority areas.
Risk assessment integration — Psychosocial hazards should be identified, assessed and controlled using the same risk management frameworks applied to physical safety. This means including factors such as roster design, accommodation quality, social isolation and workload pressure in site risk registers.
Leadership capability — Supervisors and site managers are often the first point of contact for workers in distress. Training frontline leaders to recognise early warning signs — changes in sleep patterns, withdrawal from social activities, uncharacteristic irritability, or increased reliance on alcohol — and respond appropriately is consistently identified as a high-impact intervention.
Roster design — Roster configurations directly affect cumulative fatigue, sleep quality and time available for family connection. Research into suicide risk and social support for Australian resource sector workers on FIFO rosters found that family support is a cornerstone of the social support that contributes to reducing psychosocial distress. Shorter rotations with adequate recovery time between swings are associated with better mental health outcomes, though operational constraints mean there is no single ideal roster for every site.
Accommodation and connectivity — The quality of on-site accommodation — including private rooms, recreational facilities, and reliable internet access — has a measurable effect on worker wellbeing. Workers who can maintain regular video contact with family report better adjustment across the rotation cycle. The 2024 draft FIFO Code of Practice specifically addresses controls for employer-provided accommodation, including security and lighting improvements.
Accessible, confidential support — Employee Assistance Programs remain a cornerstone, but accessibility matters as much as availability. On-site counsellors, telehealth services, and peer support programs each address different barriers to help-seeking. The key is offering multiple pathways so workers can choose what suits them.
Environmental controls — The physical conditions of the work environment — dust exposure, heat, noise — contribute to both physical strain and mental fatigue. The 2018 Western Australian research identified extreme environmental conditions as disproportionately affecting FIFO workers. Effective dust suppression, climate-controlled rest areas, and noise mitigation are not just occupational health measures; they are mental health measures.
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Continuing the Conversation
The Australian mining industry has made significant progress in physical safety over the past two decades. Fatality rates have fallen, incident reporting has improved, and safety culture has shifted from compliance to genuine commitment on many sites.
Mental health is now following a similar trajectory. The regulatory framework is strengthening, the research base is expanding, and there is growing recognition across the sector that a worker’s psychological wellbeing is inseparable from their capacity to work safely and productively. For mining companies, the question is no longer whether to act on FIFO mental health, but how quickly and comprehensively they can embed psychological safety into the way they design rosters, manage sites, train leaders and support their people.
The workers who power Australia’s resources sector deserve nothing less.
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or TIACS on 0488 846 988. In an emergency, call 000.
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This article is part of a 10-part series examining mental health in the Australian mining industry.
Sources and References
Monarch Mental Health Group. Depression and Anxiety in Mining and FIFO Work Australia.
Mining.com.au. (2025). Safe Space: Mental Health Support from MARS.
HWL Ebsworth. (2024). WorkSafe WA Released a Draft Code of Practice, FIFO Code.
Gilbert + Tobin. (2024). WA FIFO: Psychosocial Hazards Code of Practice Open for Consultation.
Mineral Resources Ltd. (2024). A New Frontier in Mental Health.
Mining.com.au. (2025). SafeSide tackling suicide in major mining state.
