Constructive conversations
Safeguarding mental wellbeing across supply chains
October’s Make A Difference (MAD) World Construction Industry Summit in London highlighted the mental health crisis in construction today. It shared some of the solutions – including the development of a research- based, sector-wide approach – to improving wellbeing that already offer quick and cost-effective wins. Ruth Holmes picks up the story.
T
he construction industry, although backed by some of the highest standards of health and safety legislation, is still the most dangerous sector to work in. It claims the lives of more
people each year than any other sector, according to 2024 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data. In this heavily male-dominated sector where sub-contracting and sub-subcontracting are commonplace, the statistics show the vast majority of the lives behind the figures are self-employed men, with middle-aged men being the most at risk within this group. Similarly, figures referred to by Mates in Mind, which
supported the summit, show that men working in the sector are over three times more likely than the average to take their own life. Every day, two men working in the sector do so. There are many reasons for these trends. Risk factors include pressure from tight contracts and deadlines, often meaning long hours and time away from loved ones, managing strict budgets and cash flow, especially during times of rising costs, and high rates of presenteeism. These factors are underlined by the fact that many people across all industries and sectors still feel unable to be open at work about their mental health because of ongoing stigma.
LEADING CHANGE IN CONSTRUCTION Until recently, workplace cultures in construction – exacerbated by the gap between head office and sites and dispersed and temporary/sub-contracted workforces – have made this important issue difficult to tackle. It is in this space that the panel and organisations
represented are finding ways to improve mental wellbeing. Most of the panellists were from member companies of the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) and other bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Representing contractors, clients, the HSE,
professional bodies, trade associations and trade unions, the HCLG has a mission “to protect people in construction employment from workplace harm” by developing industry-leading standards, including for mental health, which is a key theme of its current work and that of its supporters, including the tier one group of largest construction companies. On the panel, chaired by Sam Downie of Mates
in Mind, to talk about the HCLG, the tier one group and the progress to date on mental wellbeing were Jim Beestone, health, safety and wellbeing project manager at Balfour Beatty, who also chairs the HCLG’s mental
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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WELLBEING
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