EML Group and MATES in Construction have been named finalists in the Collaboration in Injury & Disability Management category at the 2026 PIEF Excellence in Personal Injury and Disability Management Awards.
Collaborating with MATES in Construction, the leading suicide prevention charity for tradies and construction workers, the nomination recognises a partnership which focuses on delivering training and education to raise awareness and equip managers and leaders with critical skills across the building industry.
Through our Insurance for NSW (IfNSW) business, EML has supported frontline workers for more than 20 years, including over 15 years supporting NSWPF and, more recently, NSWA. That experience has helped shape a specialised approach to supporting emergency services workers through complex and traumatic events. In the hours and days following the attack, EML worked with agency leaders to rapidly assess claims, connect workers with treatment and coordinate support services. Early intervention and close communication between all parties helped ensure workers could focus on their recovery while agencies remained focused on their operational response.
A key feature of the response was the partnership between EML, NSWPF and NSWA. By aligning welfare, recovery and claims support activities, the organisations reduced duplicate contact with affected workers and delivered a more coordinated experience during a period of significant uncertainty and urgency.
Camilla Cooper, Head of Claims, IfNSW, said the recognition reflects the dedication and expertise of everyone involved.
Our purpose at EML is to help people get their lives back, and this collaborative partnership extends that purpose onto sites across New South Wales, where a single conversation can change the course of someone's life.
Every year, around 190 construction workers in Australia die by suicide — more than one every two days. In an industry defined by long hours, job insecurity and self-reliance, mental health too often stays hidden behind stigma and workers carry their struggles in silence. MATES exists to change that, through a “mates helping mates” model that gives people the skills to recognise when a mate is struggling, start the conversation, and connect them to support.
The partnership works to ensure no worker has to face their darkest days alone, and that every person on site knows how to spot a mate who’s struggling, start the conversation, and help them find their way through.
Since 2023, through our Mutual Benefits Program, EML has funded two MATES Field Officers on the ground across New South Wales; real people, having real conversations, in the places they’re needed most. Across three years of partnership EML has helped MATES reach 11,433 construction workers, delivered 393 training sessions, and trained 126 companies.
This is more than a funding relationship. It's a shared commitment to changing what it means to be a mate on an Australian worksite.
The work reaches well beyond metropolitan areas. The partnership has helped MATES bring suicide prevention training to regional NSW communities where support can be hard to come by, and helped major construction sites achieve MATES accreditation, embedding a culture of care that stays long after the training ends.
The impact is measurable. After training, 87.1%of participants felt confident they could help a struggling workmate, and 99% said they would be willing to step in and knew exactly how to connect a mate to the help they needed. As one worker shared: “MATES has helped myself and my fellow workers understand the triggers and impacts of mental health in construction, and how to get people the support required.”
By prioritising mental health and investing in the people on the tools, EML and MATES are helping to build a construction industry that is not just stronger, but kinder, more connected, and there for one another when it matters most.
Congratulations to the MATES in Construction team, and to everyone at EML who has backed this work.
