Speak out to save FIFO lives: parents

Flying home in a window seat is a treat for most travellers, but for FIFO worker Rhys Connor it was a silencing fear.

The 25-year-old took his own life in July 2013 at the Hope Downs mine site camp in Western Australia's Pilbara region after suffering from a short period of depression.

Mr Connor's parents told a state parliamentary inquiry into the mental health of FIFO, or fly-in, fly-out, workers on Wednesday that their son was scared that if he revealed his depression to anyone at work, he would be let go - or "shown the window seat".

He was also afraid he would be unable to find work in the industry again.

Anita and Peter Miller, who don't blame the system for their son's death, are calling on minimum reporting standards on mental health to be introduced in the industry and for more FIFO workers to speak out against the stigma of mental illness.

"No mother should have to see their lifeless child before them and arrange their funeral," Mrs Miller said.

The Millers don't know what led their son to commit suicide on July 25, just a few days before he was scheduled to end his swing and return to Perth.

The inquiry heard one witness said Mr Connor looked sad that night but didn't say anything.

Mr Miller said his son loved FIFO work but it was becoming increasingly difficult for Mr Connor to leave his young son Blaize and would often cry before starting his four-weeks on.

He said Mr Connor was the "zest of the party" and that his battle with mental illness would lead to his death was "totally unforeseeable".

"It was just the longer swings that were starting to get to him and his relationship with his son," Mr Miller said.

The inquiry, sparked by a spate of FIFO suicides in WA over 12 months, continues.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.