A MUCH-loved family man took his own life after he was signed off from a job he devoted himself to following a period of bullying, an inquest has ruled.

Michael Atkins, 60 and of Kellys Walk, Andover, became stressed at work, spending weekends and late evenings trying to prove himself for a company he believed had “saved his life”, and began suffering mental health problems.

He spoke to his wife Caryn about taking his own life from taking tablets, to picking up a rope in a DIY store before putting it back and throwing himself over the bannister at his home.

The grandfather’s family and coroner Samantha Marsh believe that work-related stress contributed to his death on March 4.

Mr Atkins was diagnosed with lung cancer during a medical arranged by Aggregate Industries, who had just offered him a position within the company.

An inquest into his death at Winchester Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard that the business provided him with the best care and Mr Atkins was keen to return to work following the treatment, but soon after things started to change.

The family have said that a new line manager was bought in and initially Mr Atkins thought his workload was being lightened because of his cancer diagnosis, however he also felt like he was being bullied.

Mrs Atkins said: “I think Michael thought they were trying to push him out,” but despite this he continued to work long hours to “prove himself” until he suffered a break down at work and was signed off.

And around the same time in February he called a meeting with HR and other representatives to put in a grievance, but instead he was given a disciplinary.

His family said that he was “very proud of what he does” and being off work “was a problem for Michael as he sat at home worrying about work and what was going to happen”.

Despite concerns Mr Atkins had booked a place on a project management course and in the hours before his death his children and grandchildren had visited for dinner and the family were discussing taking a camping trip in the summer.

But later that evening Mrs Atkins came home from work to discover her husband hanging and emergency services were called but nothing could be done to save him.

Daughter Joanne said: “He was very much a family man, his family was everything. He had too much to live for.”

The family have planned to approach the company with a timeline of events in the hope to raise awareness of mental health within the business.

His sister Jacqueline Traut said: “We don’t want Michael’s passing to be in vain.”

Coroner Mrs Marsh concluded that Mr Atkins death was as a result of suicide.

  •  A spokesperson for Aggregate Industries said: “At Aggregate Industries the health and safety of our employees is our utmost priority. Earlier this year we were deeply saddened by the news of the loss of our colleague and friend, and our sincerest sympathies continue to be with his loved ones. We take mental health very seriously and, when issues do arise, we always strive to offer the best support from professional counselling and reduced workload, to free assessments and confidential advice available 24/7. Michael’s case was treated sensitively, in line with our company’s policies. However, we are obviously unable to comment on the details of individual cases.  

“In the past few years we have aimed to be at the forefront of our industry and we have implemented numerous initiatives focused on the wellbeing of our employees. Not only do we have a mental health and wellbeing policy, but we have partnered with Mates in Mind, an industry lead charity, working to improve and promote positive mental health across the construction sector. Also, we currently have over 130 trained mental health first aiders across our organisation. 

“As a business, we always try to find new ways of improving our health and safety performance, so we have rolled out many internal communication campaigns to encourage our employees to talk more openly about mental health and wellbeing. One example is “Healthy You”, a programme which was introduced in 2013 to raise awareness and provide education around key health issues such as mental health.”