Mental Health In Construction

As we are beginning to approach the festive season and mental health awareness being more publicized and help being more available than ever. It is important to acknowledge some of the statistics that are dominant within our own industry:

• Over 1,400 construction workers committed suicide between 2011 – 2015
• Construction trades have the highest number of suicides of any profession
• Risk of suicide for those working in building and construction trades is 1.6 times higher than the national average
• More than a quarter of construction employees have considered taking their own life
• Workers admit to suffering in silence
• Many within the industry suffer in silence due to cultural expectations
• Many workers feel forced to “deal with it,” not seeking out the help they need, and symptoms get worse

The construction industry has the highest number of suicides of any profession with 1,400 workers taking their own lives over the course of only four years. Further statistics show that one in seven workers knows a colleague who has taken their own life and many more workers have considered it.

The risk of suicide for those working in the industry is 1.6 times higher than the national average. In order to reduce these shocking figures we should first address what exactly it is that is effecting and impacting construction workers; some of which are detailed below:

Suffering In Silence

One big factor that jumps out of the many surveys that have been conducted around this topic is the fact that many workers have admitted to suffering in silence due to cultural stigmas that are predominant within the construction industry. Often workers feel like they cannot talk about their troubles and that, if they did want to speak to someone about it, that there is simply nowhere to do so.

It also appears that workers don’t feel comfortable reaching our to their boss or senior management with the main causing being “fear and stigma” to do so with as many as 1 in 5 saying they felt their job would be at risk if they did so. Statistics also show that amongst these workers who’ve considered suicide or know a colleague who has committed suicide, 90% do not turn to their employer for support. This then reinforces the cultural pressure to “deal with it,” and results in vulnerable people not seeking out the help they need, and symptoms eventually manifesting and worsening.

It’s Not Just Men Who Are Struggling

Women are finding it equally tough to cope with mental health issues too. 45% of women workers said their mental health was average to poor at present, with 43% saying they had experienced reduced productivity and 75% had experienced loss of sleep too.

So, How To Help Workers?

After compiling the responses from the multiple surveys on mental health in the construction industry, it’s clear that there are three main areas that need to be improved. The first is to have staff training to recognise early signs of mental health, as 73% of respondents felt their employers lacked this skill. Second is to raise awareness of mental health in the construction industry. A massive 83% of workers agree that there isn’t enough out there at the moment. This will also decrease the stigma of mental health. And finally, there need to be more outlets to enable workers to talk about their struggles. Two-thirds of workers believe this would help with another 43% asking for one of those outlets to be an anonymous helpline.

If you are struggling with a mental health issue there are many ways you can find help. Your GP will be able to make an initial diagnosis and point you in the right direction for further treatment. There are charities and third-party organisations that offer free help and listening services such as the Samaritans and SANEline. However, if you are more open about talking about how you are feeling, always talk to friends & family as they will know you better than anyone. Another route could be co-workers or your employer as they’ll be able to relate work-wise with your issues.

Whichever options you choose, the first step is to just talk about it.

The Value of Apprenticeships in the Construction Industry

Concern has been raised by construction industry experts about a shortage of skilled workers. It was revealed by City & Guilds that 87% of employers last year were struggling to get hold of the necessary number of skilled workers. Official figures, revealed in Construction News, shows that 12.6% of the UK’s construction workers aren’t British-born, with 5.7% originating from the EU. This rises considerably in London to 60%. Rather concerning is the fact that three in 10 British-born construction workers are older than 50 years old and edging towards retirement.

One way to combat this, according to experts, is to have more apprentices in the industry. It’s thought that apprenticeships could be crucial, especially following Brexit.

Nation Apprenticeship Week was at the beginning of March, and following a rise in publicity, employers have been encouraged to think about the future of their workforces — could apprentices fill the employee shortage?

Work platforms specialists, Niftylift, investigates further:

Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing, and Planning and the Built Environment are within the top five sectors for apprenticeship starts. In the 2016/17 academic year, the Engineering and Manufacturing sector had 74,000 new starts, while there were 21,000 in the Construction sector.

Redrow, a leading UK housebuilder, released its second annual research report which revealed that, thanks to a positive shift in attitudes and the perception of construction, the apprenticeship pathway has improved, with a 14% increase in young people considering a career in the sector.

Karen Jones, Redrow’s Group HR Director, spoke on the report, saying:

“This year’s results illustrate that apprenticeships and careers in construction are being viewed in a more positive light.

“Apprenticeships are a way of futureproofing the UK workforce, particularly in sectors where there is a skills shortage, such as construction, so it is pleasing to see that progress is being made.”

Success for apprenticeships is anticipated to keep growing as the new apprenticeship levy that was introduced last year brings with it a new way of funding apprenticeship programmes.

Whilst some employers have snubbed the new levy as just being ‘another tax’, both large and small employers can benefit from the fund, meaning that 90% of apprenticeship training costs are funded by the government.

Furthermore, employers within the construction sector can use up to 10% of the funding to train employees across the full supply chain — something not to be snubbed with the current shortage in skilled workers.

UK Construction Media claims that apprenticeships are indeed delivering the goods — as a huge 86% of employers say that apprenticeships are helping them develop skills relevant to their organisation, and 78% believe they help improve productivity.

Chris Wood, CEO of Develop Training, is also confident that the apprenticeship programme is working:

“Working with some of the UK’s largest utility firms, our success rates have been very high. We and our customers have no doubt that, managed well, apprenticeships do work.”

He continued:

“New initiatives such as Trailblazer Apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship Levy have raised awareness across the UK. Even so, and despite huge skills shortages, many employers are still only scratching the surface of what they could be doing to use apprenticeships to attract new people to join the industry and improve the skills of existing employees.”

It’s clear that apprenticeships could hold the key to success in the future by helping to fulfil the demand in the construction industry. Downing Street has committed itself to creating three million new apprenticeships by 2020.

The construction industry could be on the receiving end of a large chunk of those programmes, which will be an opportunity to deliver a new generation of highly skilled workers — something that the industry is experiencing a lack of right now.

In fact, the Director of the National Apprentice Service, Sue Husband, predicts that 2018 will be crucial for programmes. As more opportunities become available, now could be the time to cut yourself a slice of the apprenticeship programme success — and secure your future workforce now.

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