Queensland Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten, said that the Queensland Building Services Authority (BSA) and OzHelp Queensland have joined forces to address suicide in the building and construction industry.

Mr Schwarten said it was timely to announce the partnership between the BSA and OzHelp during Mental Health Week.

"OzHelp has found that young people up to the age of 24 on building sites are 2.39 times more likely to suicide than Australian men generally, and you are more likely to die of suicide than a workplace accident on a construction site in Queensland," he said.

Mr Schwarten said the OzHelp general awareness program would introduce BSA staff to the problem of mental health and suicide in the industry.

Mr Schwarten said OzHelp Queensland was set up in September 2007 by the Building Employees Redundancy Trust Welfare Fund and it receives some financial support through Queensland Health.

13 October, 2009