Australian energy company arm denies responsibility for worker deaths

International energy giant Chevron said on Wednesday that it was not responsible for the deaths of Australian workers who live and work based on unusual timetables.

Workers in remote parts of Australia are called "fly in fly out " (FIFO) employees who spend up to three weeks at worksites before returning to their normal homes.

But health experts believe this lifestyle has increased mental health problems among workers, particularly in Western Australian where remote mines are located.

Chevron's general manager for human resources Kaye Butler gave evidence to a parliamentary committee examining the issue as nine "FIFO"took their lives in just one year.

She was asked if mining companies were doing enough about the issue, local media reported.

"I don't think I've seen evidence to suggest FIFO is causing increased stress or increased mental illness," she said.

"No research suggests the work roster or schedule is directly linked to mental health."

Chevron's Gorgon project on Barrow Island, which lies off the Pilbara coast, employs about 8,400 workers.

Butler told the hearing she had seen no research linking mental illness with fly-in fly-out work. "I don't think I've seen evidence to suggest FIFO is causing increased stress or increased mental illness," she said. Endi