It’s time to take mental health in construction as seriously as physical safety

Health and safety in the construction industry is an issue most often thought about in terms of physical wellbeing, such as the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). These days, items including high-vis outerwear, steel-capped boots, hard hats and safety goggles are expected at all times on site as the bare minimum. 

Yet, despite this, the industry still accounts for the majority of workplace fatalities and injuries in the UK. The most recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive are telling: in 2023, 45 construction workers in the UK were killed while at work, which is more than double the number in any other industry. 

The rates of self-reported workplace injuries are also especially high in construction, with 2,640 reports per 100,000 workers, second only to agriculture, forestry and fishing – three sectors combined. 

It is worth bearing in mind that construction sites are inherently higher-risk environments and, while that means accidents are more likely than in many other sectors, it also means that the industry has to comply with numerous regulations, standards and reporting measures.  Nevertheless, whatever the context behind the numbers, the fact of the matter is that there are still far too many people who work in the construction sector getting hurt. And, while physical health and safety advice has become ingrained on construction sites – from regular toolbox talks to incident management procedures – what is less talked about is mental health and, more specifically, how that contributes to injury prevention. 

Workers in construction are four times more likely to die by taking their own life than in any other sector

Tragically, workers in construction are four times more likely to die by taking their own life than those in any other sector. Shocking statistics from the Office for National Statistics showed that 507 people in the industry died by suicide in 2021 – that is two people every day. Stress, depression and anxiety were also the reasons for almost a quarter of reports of ill-health across the sector between 2020-21 and 2022-23. 

>> See also: Time to tackle mental health head on: what construction can learn from football

>> See also: Industry warned of covid mental health crisis

Like any job, construction work comes with its own set of challenges and pressures, but these appear to be having a greater impact than ever before. Between challenging deadlines, unforeseen delays, the lack of flexible working and the risk of personal injury, construction can be a particularly stressful working environment.Mental health now needs to be talked about as frequently as physical health. 

If it is not managed properly, the impact of poor mental health among the workforce could have an equally negative impact on other aspects of health and safety. Most accidents come as a result of human error and a distracted, stressed-out employee is more likely to make mistakes that could – in the absolute worst of cases – cost someone else their life. Forget absenteeism and productivity, this should be the greatest concern by far – and the biggest driver for improving staff wellbeing.

Employers have a duty of care to ensure the wellbeing of their workforce and colleagues, as do we all as individuals. It is therefore imperative that these issues do not just sit in written policies on company websites. They should be talked about during inductions, tool box talks and become part of daily health and safety management. 

Our role in providing construction safety services is to ensure that contractors are taking a holistic approach to health and safety management, including a focus on mental wellbeing alongside physical safety. This may take the form of initiatives such as employee assistance programmes and appointing mental health first-aiders. But equally important is giving people in your workforce the opportunity to get any worries and concerns off their chest in a safe space, talking to someone they know who is there to listen.

There is no silver bullet to dealing with this aspect of health and safety and no PPE that you can procure to protect a worker’s mental health. In an industry still largely made up of male employees, who often have a “just get on with it” attitude, finding the right ways to encourage people to open up and speak about mental health is not easy. 

However, if management starts to treat mental health as importantly as physical health and safety, we could take a big step towards improving the wellbeing – and also physical safety – of everyone within the sector.

Rob Bewick is a senior construction safety consultant at Thomas & Adamson. Last week (6-10 May) was construction safety week. This week (13-19 May) is mental health awareness week