Suicide claims 36,000 a year in the US and a new report highlights the increasing incidence of suicides in the workplace especially in certain occupations. Data analyzed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that from 2003 to 2010 there were 1,719 suicides at work in the US. There were fluctuations in the figures with 1.5 suicides per million workers in 2003, dropping to 1.2 per million in 2007 before rising sharply in 2010 to 1.8 per million. Men, especially those in the 65-74 age group, are most likely to take their own lives according to the research.
The occupations where occurrence of suicide is higher include; law enforcement, security and fire-fighting; farming, fishing and forestry (perhaps due to financial concerns); car repairers (possibly due to influence of long-term exposure to chemicals that could affect mental state). Doctors are also at higher risk of suicide.
The conclusion is that more research is needed into workplace suicides but also that businesses should be aware of the risk and ensure support for workers who may be under increased pressure.
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