28.11.2025

BS 30480, Suicide and the Workplace is a new standard issued by BSI.

I first heard about BS 30480 Suicide and the workplace – Intervention, prevention and support for people affected by suicide in July 2025 & I’ll be very honest, my first thoughts were, is suicide really a big problem in UK Manufacturing?

Since then, I’ve read the standard many times, researched much further into that question & represent Make UK at BS 30480’s launch event earlier this month. 

I’ve discovered that sadly, the answer is a resounding yes. Suicide is a very significant issue for UK manufacturers & indeed all UK employers.

The fact that I didn’t know this is one of the issues that this excellent new standard from BSI tries to address.

The headline figures make very sombre reading:

  • In the UK 1 in 4 adults have thought of taking their own life
  • 1 in 13 have made a suicide attempt at some point
  • In 2023, there were 7,055 deaths by suicide across the UK. It is estimated that around 10% (700) could be work-related. That’s 4.5 times the number that die from safety-related accidents each year.

And it’s not just those directly involved who are affected. For every death by suicide, at least 135 people are exposed and potentially impacted by the event.

Common misconceptions

I don’t think I’m alone in not realising the impact of suicide in the workplace & interestingly BS 30480, Suicide & the Workplace addresses this right from the start by listing some of the more common myths that surround this subject:

Myth 1: Asking someone directly if they are thinking about suicide “plants” the idea in their head.

Myth 2: Those who talk about suicide are not at risk of suicide.

Myth 3: It is always obvious when someone is experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Myth 4: Suicide behaviour and self‑harm is “just attention seeking”.

Myth 5: All people who self‑harm are trying to end their life.

Myth 6: Suicide and self‑harm happen in certain groups, or especially those who are in contact with mental health services (“it won’t affect me”).

Myth 7: Men don’t seek help for thoughts of suicide and self‑harm or suicide behaviours.

Myth 8: People bereaved by suicide do not want to talk about the person who has died.

Myth 9: There’s a set period within which to grieve a loved one lost to suicide.

Myth 10: Only family or friends of someone who has died by suicide are impacted by their death.

These are all myths, in other words, not true. However, because we all find this subject difficult to talk about, they are allowed to persist.

Well, it’s time for the silence to stop & the supportive discussion to start.
Utilising this new, practically designed standard is a great place to begin.

BS 30480, Suicide and the Workplace

You may have read BSI or ISO standards before & be under the impression they are focussed on technical details & paperwork supported by endless audits. Well, this one is very, very different.

The standard starts by reminding us of the importance of having a supportive workplace culture. Whilst this is, I think, already well understood by business leaders, the standard doesn’t stop there & suggests actual practical steps that a company can take to implement a culture that can address the problem of “silence”. These include awareness training for all, clear & consistently applied workplace procedures & strong EDI & anti-bulling & harassment positions.

In a very welcome step BSI don’t suggest accredited training but instead describe the suggested content interventions should have. This allows organisations to take a varied approach to training in this area, but also a responsibility to ensure that the training is adequate. The standard includes guidance on training for line managers who may be having discussions & offering support, training for workers on how to identify warning signs and what to do about it as well as general awareness training for all.

As you would expect, the standard provides clear, but flexible guidance on strategy, policy, implementation & monitoring, but also makes it clear that organisations that are serious about suicide prevention actually name a senior leader who is responsible for leadership on the issue. Whilst this isn’t a new idea, it does ensure that suicide prevention is represented at the highest levels of an organisation.

For me, the real difference in this standard to others which have come before it, is that it is so much more than a collection of bullet points that provide a skeleton to work to. This standard actually explains concepts & provides clear actionable steps to undertake when dealing with suicide in the workplace.

The second part of the standard explains;

1. Risk factors (personal, workplace, relationships & community & societal).

2. Warning signs, broken down into the areas of psychological, emotional, behavioural & physical.

3. The difference between harmful & helpful coping strategies.

It also includes a section completely devoted to intervention. In other words, what do we do when we’ve identified a risk. The standard outlines the key indicators of distress or intent. Most important to addressing the culture of silence or the fear of asking, the standard then provides guidance on “how to ask”, literally breaking this down into “what to say” & “what not to say” & what might be helpful & unhelpful.

Most importantly, the standard then outlines a specific course of action to take when responding to a person identified as being in distress along with some key principles to employ. This is real tangible, actionable advice that can help us all in removing the ongoing culture of silence.

Next Steps

So, as employers, what are the next steps?

1. Read the standard. It contains all the information you need to both understand the issue & to begin to do something about it.

2. Decide whether to endorse (show your commitment to the general principles) or to pledge to adopt (a commitment to implement the standard). Your decision here will depend on the assessed risk level in your business.

3. Most importantly, be proactive in your support of the standard, let’s have no more silence on this subject.

Get the guide

Make UK are proud to join the growing list of UK organisations showing leadership on this subject by publicly confirming our endorsement of the standard.