12% of suicides are work-related: Unpacking work-related suicides from New Zealand’s WorkSafe Report

New Zealand's WorkSafe regulator recently disclosed that 12% of suicides in the country are linked to work, following an examination of suicides that occurred between 2017 and 2021. Out of 1,678 coronial findings reviewed, over a tenth were found to be work-related, with 86% of those suicides specifically involving work-related stressors.
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In these cases, a significant proportion (22%) of work-related suicides were committed with means associated with work - access to lethal means via the workplace - and 10% took place at the individual's workplace. The review highlighted the noteworthy association between work and suicide, particularly where work provides access to or familiarity with lethal means.

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Defining a work-related suicide is complex

WorkSafe commissioned the research to fill a major gap. An increase in recent reports in farm suicides and suicide has been measured in the construction sector in particular but WorkSafe recognised a need for a broad study across all sectors of work. Defining a work-related suicide is difficult, though. What if work only played a minor role? What if the suicide was attempted at work but other factors contributed as well? Additionally, many suicides are not notified to the health and safety regulator, meaning businesses and employers are not clear about their legal obligations in this matter and analysing the data can be difficult.

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Suicide at work: a snapshot profile

Data from the US, in a 2015 study, shows that work-related suicide rates increase with age, with the highest rates found among 65-74 year olds. Males account for 95% of these workplace suicides. People in low-skilled occupations are at a greater risk of suicide compared to the general population. In New Zealand the highest rates are in manual occupations: trades persons, construction workers, farming, fishing and forestry. Somewhere within the well-established risk factors of substance abuse, family history, previous suicide attempts, access to lethal means, social isolation, financial pressures and relationship difficulties, work-related stressors play a role.

“Acquired capability” is the ‘ability’ to make a lethal or near-lethal suicide attempt. This often develops through acclimation to physical pain and/or repeated exposure to fear. Ultimately, it is acquired capability that converts suicidal thoughts into actions. Working in a field with access to lethal means can influence a person's acquired capability in this way. This study found that 22% of work-related suicides involved work-related means. As for work-related stressors, the The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recently produced a comprehensive summary of work-related psychosocial hazards with some examples being:

• Job demands
• Roles and expectations
• Job control or autonomy – lack of control/independence
• Remote and isolated work
• Workload and work-pace – excessive or inadequate and highly repetitive work
• Job security – uncertain availability of work, possibility of redundancy
• Organisational change management – lack of communication and prolonged or recurrent restructuring

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The main stressor: Job demands

Work-related stressors played a role in 86.3% of work-related suicides in the study. The most prominent stressor was “job demands”. In this study, job demands was defined as ‘unrealistic expectations of a worker’s competence or responsibilities, and generally consisted of workers being asked to undertake particular duties, despite having a lack of appropriate experience or without consideration given to their physical or cognitive abilities. It also involved situations where workers felt a lot of pressure from others to succeed. For business owners or self-employed workers, these expectations and demands were self-imposed.

What next?

While there is ample research on general suicide rates across various industries, there's a noticeable gap in understanding work-related suicide. The report identifies risks for suicide in the workplace and delves into socioeconomic factors like low job status, education levels, and income, which are linked to psychosocial stressors such as job insecurity and low job control. Additionally, the report raises questions about whether high-status jobs carry unique stressors that contribute to suicides.

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Interestingly, the majority of cases (68.5%) in the study had no insight on whether the employer was aware of their employee’s distress. Only in 11.2% of the cases were the employer confirmed to be aware of employee distress. These findings are not to be interpreted as employers being at fault. Indeed, employment is a protective factor against suicides, generally. Many people expressing thoughts of suicide often feel unable to communicate this to others. However, more could be done to help those experiencing suicidal thoughts feel better able to communicate their distress, including ways of safely doing so in the workplace.

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To read the full report you can click here.

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Sources

Work-related suicide: Examining the role of work factors in suicide by WorkSafe New Zealand, 16th April, 2024.

Suicide in US workplaces, 2003–2010: A comparison with non-workplace suicides, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2015.

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