Construction firms urged to sign mental health ‘pledge’ this winter

Construction firms are being urged to sign up to a mental health ‘pledge’, as research has suggested more than half of site workers report feeling anxious or depressed.

CHAS, a supplier of risk prevention, compliance and supply chain management tools to the sector, has linked up with technology firm Causeway Technologies to encourage construction firms to sign up to their mental health pledge.

The pledge commits signatories to create “a better workplace environment in construction that includes mental health support” for workers and to campaign for mental health provision to be included as part of procurement conditions for future construction contracts.

The move follows a Causeway survey of 1,439 construction site workers revealing that more than half (56%) are facing or have encountered mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Additionally, 12% acknowledged they had experienced or were currently dealing with suicidal thoughts.

CHAS has also said it intends to introduce a mental health accreditation standard in 2024. This will assess a company’s stance on mental health and wellbeing while also looking at its supply chain’s approach to mental health issues. CHAS will also advocate for the prioritisation of mental health accreditation in procurement processes.

“Our accreditation will give companies a chance to say, ‘here’s what we’re doing in our business to support good mental health, and this is what we expect of our supply chains’ and will provide them with the tools and techniques to accomplish this,” said CHAS managing director Ian McKinnon.

Causeway Technologies CEO Phil Brown added: “We have seen some encouraging signs that businesses are engaging with mental health at an industry level and we are grateful to the progressive businesses that have worked with us to help complete the survey. However, the industry’s mental health crisis still shows little sign of abating and we need to approach the issue from multiple directions.”

Separately, as we head into winter, insurance firm Toolbox by Admiral has published seven tips to help workers keep warm on construction sites. The tips, most of them relatively self-evident, are:

• Wear the right clothing, including layers.
• Eat healthy food.
• Wrap up your face and neck, but avoiding potentially dangerous loose items in favour of closer-fitted kit, such as thermal helmet liners.
• Protect your hands and feet, including investing in waterproof, insulated, but breathable socks and boots.
• Keep an emergency kit, including hand warmers, a spare jumper or coat, and dry pair of shoes.
• Prepare the work site, for example gritting ahead of ice or laying down sand once ice has thawed.
• Consider the way that you work, including potentially purchasing on-site heaters and having a warm space for breaks.