__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mental Health
Improving understanding of mental health within the construction industry ng or ccemagazine
The construction industry is at a pivotal moment, with the government working toward ambitious homebuilding targets, and investing in large infrastructure projects. It is certainly positive news for the industry, but among all this extra work in the pipeline, we need to be conscious of the added delivery pressures that come alongside.
For an industry that is addressing its mental health culture, we must welcome the growing demand while ensuring all the wonderful workers within the industry have the support and open channels of communication they need, to seek help when times get tough. Equally, we need employers to be equipped with the staff and knowhow to support their employees, even when they’ re not proactively reaching out for help.
The 2023 Mates in Mind Impact Report found that stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 49 per cent of work-related ill-health, and that one-third of construction workers live with severe levels of anxiety. Two construction workers on average take their own lives each working day and mental health issues are around four times as prevalent in the industry than the general population, according to mental health charity Mates in Mind.
High-pressure environments, long commutes, job security, and isolation on the job are all welldocumented stressors. But perhaps one of the most damaging factors is the long-standing culture of a belief that emotional struggles are a private matter or even a sign of weakness. More research from Mates in Mind, and the response from SMEs and sole traders in the industry find‘ talking about my mental health extremely difficult’ and almost 70 per cent agreed that‘ there is a stigma about mental health which stops people from talking about it’. Too often people in construction feel like they can’ t talk about their mental health issues, and it’ s imperative we improve the poor understanding of mental health in the industry.
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