Psychosocial Hazards in the Northern Territory Building and Construction Industry: A Profile of Job Demands and Job Resources in a Jurisdiction and Industry with High Rates of Suicide

Nicholas Thompson, Adam Robertson (), Rebecca Loudoun, Amanda Biggs and Keith Townsend
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Nicholas Thompson: MATES in Construction, Spring Hill, QLD 4004, Australia
Adam Robertson: Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Rebecca Loudoun: Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Amanda Biggs: Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Keith Townsend: Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The work environment for building workers in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) is characterised by concerningly high rates of distress and suicide at both a jurisdictional and an industry level. Work-related psychosocial hazards are known antecedents of work-related distress and suicide, and more research is required to understand how these hazards impact workers in this unique building context. This paper examines the unique work environment in the NT building industry by comparing psychosocial hazards in the NT with those in the broader Australian building and construction industry. When comparing 330 NT self-report survey responses about psychosocial hazards in the workplace to 773 broader Australian building industry responses, supervisor task conflict for NT workers was more concerning, at 10.9% higher than the broader Australian cohort. Within the NT sample, comparisons between fly-in and fly-out/drive-in and drive-out (FIFO/DIDO) workers and non-FIFO/DIDO workers were also performed to determine specific local psychosocial hazards. When comparing FIFO/DIDO workers’ responses to their NT peers, role overload and supervisor task conflict were significantly higher, and co-worker and supervisor support were lower. In FIFO/DIDO environments, praise and recognition, procedural justice, and change consultation were at concerningly lower averages than the broader NT building and construction industry. These results suggest that the NT building and construction industry, and particularly FIFO/DIDO operations, require greater resourcing, investment, and focus on workplace mental health initiatives to improve the work environment and wellbeing of this workforce and mitigate hazards that can lead to distress and the high rates of occupational suicide found in this jurisdiction and industry.

Keywords: psychosocial hazards; work health and safety; suicide prevention; job control; supervisor task conflict; peer support; fly-in fly-out; drive-in drive-out; building; construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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