Mine matters: Why you need to pay attention to your workforce’s mental well-being

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According to the WHO, in 2019, one in every eight people, or 970 million people around the world, were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common.

Left undiagnosed and untreated, mental health conditions can prove debilitating or could seriously impact personal lives and work.

Prioritising mental health support in mining operations – through awareness, counselling and access to care – is not only a moral imperative but a strategic investment in the sustainability of the workforce and the resilience of the communities that depend on them.

The importance of mental health is also emphasised in the National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2023–2030 by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, as well as organised labour.

The department has also issued a directive to include regular mental health screening at occupational centres to ensure early detection.

Interventions to improve the safety of women in mining are also among their 2034 milestones, as the industry strives to realise its ambition of Zero Harm to all.

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Stressful and hazardous

The mining sector is characterised by high-stress and potentially hazardous environments that can take a toll on workers’ mental well-being.

Mineworkers are often breadwinners in their households, and their psychological well-being directly affects the stability of their families and the broader social fabric of their communities.

In the mining sector, much like in the broader population, the most common mental health issues we see are depression, substance abuse, anxiety and relationship problems.

Coming to the fore in recent years are also issues like bullying, harassment and victimisation, while many may also suffer from grief, trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A recent study in the South African Journal of Psychiatry assessed 927 mine workers and found that 31% experienced moderate to severe psychological distress — indicators consistent with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The research also highlighted a strong association between hazardous alcohol use and mental health distress.

Treatment

It must be noted that an employee on treatment for a mental health condition is much less of a risk than an employee who has not been identified and treated.

For example, concentration and memory are affected by depression.

So if you work with equipment and there's a lapse in concentration, it could cause a mining accident.

Mines have come to understand the importance of proper screening and treatment for mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse, as part of general health screening.

As a closed scheme tied to occupational health services, these comprehensive periodic screenings are compulsory and help to identify and treat physical and mental health conditions early.

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) provide access to counsellors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making treatment convenient and accessible.

They are also geared to educate the mining community – normalising these issues, removing the stigma of mental illness, and highlighting the importance of getting treatment and support.

This growing awareness through the EAP campaigns could account for a rise in self-referrals.

People know where to access the service, and patients would come and request assistance – both on the scheme side but also on the EAP programme side.

Referrals also come from GPs at the mines, and from mine HR or management in cases where an employee exhibits problems with work performance, late coming or absenteeism.

They typically refer those clients to the EAP social workers, who would assess them, and if they need more specialised treatment, they would send them to the psychologist and, thereafter, the psychiatrist.

Mental health treatment can be costly, so many medical schemes limit their benefits to only the prescribed minimum benefits, such as a 21-day in-hospital treatment or a 21-day programme in a rehab facility, or for chronic conditions such as bipolar depression.

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When comparing mental health services, it’s important to check if all mental health conditions are covered and if patients can be treated on an outpatient basis.

It is not always beneficial for patients to go to mental health institutions because of personality factors.

In the mining environment, seeking alternative treatment options before hospital admission helps normalise the condition and remove the stigma of the patient being removed from their family and community for treatment.

Other considerations when selecting a medical scheme are whether medication is provided with no restrictions on the long-term treatment, and whether the mental health department is well-supported and integrated with a network of GPs and EAPs.