Liontown is partnering with Edith Cowan University’s (ECU) mental awareness, respect and safety (MARS) centre on an important research project aimed at enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers.
Liontown work health and safety manager Hayden Spencer was one of the attendees at the research showcase alongside government representatives, researchers and industry peers to discuss the company’s participation in the initiative.
The study is supported by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) and was conducted between March and April 2024.
It explored how team belongingness can influence the wellbeing of workers on remote mine sites, including those at Liontown’s Kathleen Valley lithium operation in Western Australia.
Survey data was collected by researchers from 72 Liontown employees and contractors, providing insights into the company’s overall wellbeing and team dynamics.
The findings reinforced the need to be proactive in supporting the mental health of FIFO workers with the psychological distress levels at Kathleen Valley being consistent with the mining industry, but these levels are higher than the general Australian population.
A total of 72 per cent of respondents reported feeling moderate to high belongingness at Kathleen Valley, outperforming industry averages.
“It was great to get involved in research that concentrated on the positives to working away,” Spencer said. “For some people, their team is the reason they go to work, and they get to build friendships that outlast the mine life.
“However, we still have a lot of work to do in this space and will ensure that we include our contract partners in this as much as possible.”
Thanks to the research by the ECU MARS centre, Liontown is working to enhance its community’s wellbeing using evidence-based recommendations tailored to its operation.
“We’re engaging with our contractors to address their unique needs, have enhanced 24–7 communal recreational areas at our state-of-the-art village, launched a vibrant program of social and sport classes and events, and are providing psychological assistance to all and training for leaders to support their teams,” Liontown said.
“The ECU MARS centre will now work to create a standardised survey tool for the industry to measure psycho-social safety, providing recommended actions based on the scores.”
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