A new British Standard 30480 on suicide awareness was launched in November 2025

In 2024, 6190 people in England and Wales took their own lives, up from 6069 in 2023 (Office for National Statistics, 2024; 2025). Globally, there are more than 720,000 deaths by suicide each year. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation estimates that, in a company of 1000 employees, one worker will die by suicide every 10 years, while a further 10-20 will make a suicide attempt (Greiner and Arensman, 2022). For every death by suicide, an estimated 135 people, including colleagues, families and communities, are affected. Suicide touches almost every workplace, yet many organisations still feel ill-equipped to talk about it openly or respond safely.

The BS 30480 aims to raise the issue of suicide and the workplace, encouraging prevention, support and intervention, helping people affected by suicide. This is the UK’s first standard dedicated to suicide awareness,  education and action. It means organisations have comprehensive guidelines to help plan for, respond to and support people affected by suicide.

The new standard is guidance rather than an accreditation standard, written in such a way that organisations can take what they need from it and embed the advice in stages, offering outlined practical ways to offer support.