House builders have
launched a new campaign to help end the stigma of mental health and provide
support for workers in the industry.
It aims to tackle
the shocking implications of mental health that is resulting in over 400
workers in the wider construction industry taking their own lives every year.
HBF has teamed up
with the Lighthouse ConstructionIndustry Charity, a charity dedicated to delivering financial and emotional
support to the construction community and their families. Together, they aim to
provide house builders with key resources and training to support employees and
sub-contractors.
It comes as
Telford-based Walker Health and Safety Services Limited, which provides small
and medium businesses with the support needed to implement and keep up to date
with health and safety legislation, has compiled new advice for the
construction industry on well-being.
The construction
sector is proving to be one of the worst cases for staff well being. In a new
blog, the company looks into the problem and what solutions are available.
Meanwhile, over 30
builders have already signed up to the HBF-backed campaign and pledged to adopt
the ‘Building Mental Health Framework’, which gives best practice guidance to
companies to help put critical steps in place. The industry has also pledged over
£100,000 towards the Charity.
Whilst the industry
has worked hard in recent years on health and safety initiatives to ensure
workers are safe physically, an overwhelming 88% of people working in the
sector believe that more support needs to be given with regards to mental
health. A construction worker is now ten times more likely to die through
suicide than a fall from a height and the industry is now higher than
agriculture when it comes to mental health issues and rates of suicide. Jobs
that are common in housebuilding such as plastering and decorating, have some
of the highest rates of poor mental health.
The new campaign
will deliver vital support including the provision of a confidential 24/7
industry helpline and retraining for workers who have been injured or who have
suffered from an illness which means they cannot return to their normal work.
Stewart Baseley,
executive chairman at HBF said: “As an industry a huge amount of focus has been
on how we ensure sites are as safe physically as they can be. However, we also
need to be doing all we can to address the mental health issues that we face and
improve the unacceptable level of suicide amongst construction workers.
“The campaign aims
to help companies support their workforce and identify and help those people
struggling with mental health issues. We want to create a culture where talking
about mental health is welcomed and normal so people come forward when they need
help and then get it.”
