Software company simPRO has announced a philanthropic partnership with MATES in Construction, a suicide awareness, prevention and support program serving Australia’s and New Zealand’s construction industry.
According to MATES in Construction, Australia’s construction industry is losing one worker per week to suicide. Construction workers are six times more likely to die from suicide than a workplace accident.
By partnering with MATES, simPRO aims to emphasise the importance of mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry while helping to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help. By working with MATES in Construction, the company says its goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide each year in the construction industry.
As part of the alliance, simPRO’s staff in Australia and New Zealand will undergo general awareness training by MATES in Construction. The first of a three-part training series, it is designed to help identify and respond to warning signs that a mate in the construction industry may be at risk of suicide.
The training is part of an integrated industry intervention program offered by MATES in Construction that is designed to:
- Raise awareness of suicide as a preventable problem
- Build stronger and more resilient workers
- Connect workers to the best available help and support
- Communicate best practices designed to boost mental health by partnering with leading researchers.
“The mental health of the trade industry is a cause that simPRO is fully behind,” says simPRO CEO Sean Diljore. “One of our guiding values is that ‘We Care’ – not only for our employees but for our local communities and customers. If, through our training, we can help even one person in the industries we serve, our commitment to MATES in Construction will be worth it.”
simPRO will also be supporting MATES in Construction at industry events and participating during Fly the Flag day in September – a day set aside to celebrate what the construction industry is doing to create awareness of the importance of their workers’ mental health.
For more details of Fly the Flag day, click here.