Blake Wood is at the forefront of a revolutionary shift in mental health support within the mining and resources sector.
As co-founder of the FIFOzero initiative, and business development manager at Verve Education, Wood is not merely advocating for change; he is igniting it.
Wood’s mission is clear: challenge deep-seated stigmas and introduce innovative approaches to wellbeing in a field where mental health has long been sidelined.
Mental health is as crucial as physical health. It affects every facet of everyone’s lives — from thoughts, to emotions and behaviours.
“We want to empower the individual to know that there is nothing wrong with them,” Wood tells this news service.
Ahead of R U OK? Day on Thursday 14 September, Mining.com.au spoke with Wood to delve into his holistic approach to mental health within the mining industry.
Alongside his co-founder George Helou, Wood has dedicated himself to reshaping how mental health is perceived and managed in this challenging field.
Real-time road to wellness
FIFOzero, an initiative of Verve Education, focuses on mental health support through leadership and cultural development. Verve Education itself is a pioneering technology company specialising in personal development via apps and data aggregation.
Its aim is to systemise wellbeing and productivity enhancement both for individuals and organisations.
Wood explains the intention behind this platform is for mining companies anywhere in the world to be able to access data around each department’s wellbeing and productivity levels. From there, the company is then able to quickly and effectively allocate resources needed to each department.
“It’s like a real-time, real-life emotional pulse of its network, which is pretty cool,” he tells Mining.com.au.
Verve Education is supported by mining giants Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) and BHP (ASX:BHP). The model is designed to educate, upskill, and systemise mental health safety, mirroring the way physical safety has been managed in the industry.
“We’re excited to present our new wellbeing application, ushering in a new era of analytics for individuals and organisations,” Wood says.
Despite the essential nature of mental health, many mining workers receive minimal check-ins with their management. In fact, MPI Recruitment claims that some workers in the industry only receive follow-up interactions with mine management during a cursory check-in, in the kitchen, or on the plane home at the end of their fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) roster.
Through Verve Education’s latest platform development, Wood aims to unify management and employees, while avoiding the addition of excessive layers that can be impractical for some companies.
“It’s a systemised approach and that systemised approach hasn’t been available from the technology. It just hasn’t been there, but it is there now — that’s exciting for the industry to see,” he says.
“I don’t know if exciting is the right word, because when we’re talking about saving lives, it’s a must.”
A new era of support
According to the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), some 1.2 million people are employed in the resources workforce, and 85% of the workforce are males.
Partners in Mining says that men are statistically less likely to seek help for mental health problems, compared to women.
This, of course, increases the risk of mental health problems going unrecognised or untreated and, as reported by Suicide Prevention Australia, suicide remains the leading cause of death for men between the ages of 14 and 44; a stark reality underscored by the estimated suicide rate among mining workers.
In 2023, a University of Melbourne report — Suicide in the Australian Mining Industry: A National Study — revealed that the estimated suicide rate among mining workers is between 11 and 25 per 100,000.
It’s a troubling statistic that Verve Education and FIFOzero is looking to tackle.
Wood highlights that stigma can exacerbate mental health challenges, causing individuals to associate their struggles with personal failure. By breaking down these barriers, Wood’s approach has encouraged mining workers to open up about their mental health.
“You would have the guys that would be sitting there with their arms folded, heads down, and just not interested,” he says.
By the end of each session, Wood says these men would have completely opened up — their posture would be different and they were engaged in the conversation. Wood and Helou would use engagement tools to help break down individuals in a “light-hearted” way.
“We wanted things that would excite and allow men in particular, to see themselves and their relationship to mental health in a completely different way.”
In one poignant instance, a miner who had experienced personal loss approached Wood after the session. Moved by his openness, the miner was able to connect with the support services available, marking a profound moment of realisation for Wood about the impact of his work.
“I watched him go over and get connected to the EAP services that we had brought onsite and that moment made me realise that I am meant to be doing this,” he says.
From mine to mind
Reflecting on his career, Wood recounts his early days in the mining industry with Queensland Rail and BHP Billiton.
“My mining and FIFO career began with Queensland Rail, before I relocated to Western Australia to take a position with BHP Billiton,” he tells this news service.
Wood says the opportunities he experienced while working with BHP were incredible, as he travelled across the country.
“But, that initial ‘this is incredible’ wore off. I thought there was something missing, and it made me realise something is not right here.”
His journey from a promising start to a realisation of a deeper need for mental health support was catalysed by discovering George Helou’s personal development program, EP7 . This program, featuring certified life coaches, provides multi-step processes to empower others through online personal and group coaching, retreats and workplace workshops.
“I didn’t go down the traditional route of mental health support as such. I didn’t go see a doctor, which I don’t have anything against, it was just not the route I took.”
Wood’s newfound enthusiasm led him to share personal experiences with BHP colleagues and participate in BHP’s Wellness Roadshows in 2016. The roadshow, which saw BHP partner with health support organisation Beyond Blue, raised awareness of mental health issues and provided support services to mining employees and the community.
This marked a turning point; Wood began focusing on advocating for mental health awareness and support.
“How we are conditioned from a young age and how we’re ultimately perceiving the world that we live in, and how we interact and understand that to a deeper level, it just blew me away,” Wood says.
“I got excited to start sharing this. I travelled with the wellness roadshows and I never returned to site.”
Wood also then became an R U OK? Ambassador when the movement launched their FIFO campaign, and travelled with BHP in 2016 to facilitate R U OK? sessions for thousands of mining staff.
Unfortunately for Wood, two weeks into the roadshow, he lost a friend from his crew. The suicide of this young father was a shock to him and his whole department, and ever since, he has been on this mission through his own initiatives with George Helou.
Wood’s dedication exemplifies how transformative leadership and innovative technology can help reshape mental health support, even in the most challenging environments.
The work through FIFOzero and Verve Education is not just about changing systems; it is ultimately about saving lives and fostering a culture where mental health is prioritised and valued.
By challenging stigmas, introducing groundbreaking technology, and fostering open dialogue, Wood leads a shift that helps to enhance wellbeing and productivity across the mining industry.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Supplied
