The Office for National Statistics tell us that men in the UK are three times more likely to die by suicide, and in construction – a male dominated sector – men are three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average for men.

A report by the Chartered Institute of Building found that 26% of construction industry professionals thought about taking their own lives in 2019, 56% of construction professionals work for organisations with no policies on mental health in the workplace, and that 70% of respondents experienced depression and 87% experienced anxiety over the past year.

The pressures including long working hours, job uncertainty, tight deadlines, financial pressure and working away from home can have significant impact on the mental health of both white collar workers and senior managers.

However, these saddening statistics around mental health and wellbeing in the construction industry have only very recently begun to receive the attention and consideration it needs.

The construction industry has had a reputation as a macho industry that was ill-prepared to face the facts about mental health and take appropriate measures to support its workforce in this regard.

At CESW we feel that it is high time for a change in the sector’s approach when it came to dealing with such issues.

Those changes need to start at leadership level and as such the board of CESW has decided that  Health & Wellbeing should be a cross cutting theme that is considered a priority within all our Theme Groups.

Mental Health Support

CESW have also partnered with Red Dot 365 to provide direct confidential access to qualified mental health and wellbeing therapist 24 / 7 365, at no cost to you or your organisation.

If you need support press the Red Dot now.