NEWS
Trade associations lobby political parties over late payment ‘epidemic’
A
ccording to a survey run by engineering services trade bodies ECA and BESA, nine
out of 10 business owners across construction suffer a range of mental health issues due to payment and other business pressures. This also follows the release of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) annual figures for Great Britain, with the managing director of Mates in Mind urging employers to address mental health. The new ECA/BESA survey, conducted in association with 25 other construction trade bodies, found that business owners have an array of significant mental health problems due to the pressures of late or unfair payment. These include stress (80 percent), depression (36 percent), extreme anger (38 percent), anxiety and/or panic attacks (40 percent), insomnia (36 percent) and suicidal feelings (10 percent).
This sits alongside the reports from the HSE that the number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or longstanding) in 2018/19 has remained at 600,000 cases – the same as reported for 2017/18. Unfair payment practices also have
a significant impact on employees right across a business. Of all the respondents to the ECA/BESA survey, four said they had attempted suicide as a result, while 80 percent reported a mental health issue. Over four in 10 of all respondents said that payment issues had strained their relationship with their partner, with five percent reporting it caused it to breakdown entirely.
Furthermore, the HSE has stated
that in 2018/19 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44 percent of all work-related ill health cases and 54 percent of all working days lost due to ill health. The report highlights that the total number of working days lost due to this
condition in 2018/19 was 12.8 million days, equating to an average of 21.2 days lost per case.
ECA director of CSR, Paul Reeve, commented: “Everybody expects business to deal with everyday pressures, but stress and other mental health impacts come from sustained and excessive pressure. It’s absolutely clear from these findings that poor payment is a serious cause of mental health issues across the industry and that the problem, far from being isolated to certain individuals, is commonplace among top management.
“These problems quickly knock
on to employees and families alike. Findings such as these mean that clients and other buyers need to greatly improve their approach to supply chain payment and it’s a sad reflection on the industry that it will probably take legislation to achieve it.”
ECA/BESA survey supporters cover a range of construction activity, including electrical, plumbing, building, scaffolding, roofing, civil engineering, fire safety, painting and decorating, and interiors. The survey supporters are all part of a wider industry coalition pressing the
government to reform the practice of cash retentions in in construction. James Rudoni, managing director of Mates in Mind, said in relation to the HSE report: “In addition to highlighting the worrying business cost that poor mental health is having across UK industries, we must acknowledge that the human cost of these trends cannot be ignored
either. The numbers being presented in HSE’s report are not simply cases, but people, therefore we urge employers to invest in the health of their organisations, by prioritising the mental health of their most vulnerable and most valuable asset - their people.” “With the HSE’s report highlighting the challenges which work-related ill-health poses and the specific areas in which employers and organisations can work to be better and make a change, the report comes as an important warning that more organisations need to take action.” With both the engineering services trade bodies, ECA and BESA, and the HSE clearly advocating for change regarding mental well-being within business it is clear that action needs to be taken. Whilst the HVACR industry is focussed on how they can make changes to meet F-gas regulations and the governments carbon neutral goals for 2050, it is important to remember to focus on mental well-being as well as environmental well-being.
EIA and Greenpeace relaunch Cool Technologies
T
he Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace have relaunched Cool Technologies, a database showcasing alternative cooling technologies to hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) systems used at present. Cool Technologies features commercially available equipment using natural refrigerants as well as ‘not-in-kind’ technologies which do not use vapour compression cycles. It also features case studies of companies deploying these technologies and enjoying the benefits of the greater energy efficiency that many of these systems boast. Fionnuala Walravens, senior climate campaigner at EIA, said: “By understanding what Cool Technologies are available and working well for others, manufacturers and businesses can make the best choice for the future.”
The website, targeted primarily at business in the developing world, is designed to help raise awareness of and build confidence in HFC-free alternatives for clean cooling worldwide. It is being relaunched to coincide with the 31st Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Rome, Italy.
www.acr-news.com December 2019 15
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