HEALTH & WELLBEING: MATES IN MIND
MATES IN MIND
Men under the age of 50 are more likely to die from suicide than any other
cause, including cancer, road accidents and heart disease. For men working
in construction, this risk is 3.7 times higher than the national male average.
I
n March this year, the Office for National Statistics
(ONS) published data based on deaths registered in
England between 2011 and 2015. According to the
research, males working in the lowest-skilled occupations
have a 44% higher risk of suicide than the male national
average, while the risk among males in skilled trades is
35% higher. However, the risk of suicide among low-skilled
male labourers, particularly those working in construction
roles, is 3.7 times higher than the male national average.
The UK construction sector contributes £90 billion to the
UK economy (6.7% of the total) and is a major employer;
accounting for around 7% of the UK workforce (2.9 million
workers). ONS figures are alarming and the problem is
unquestionably too big for us to ignore.
Historically, the construction industry has been a
challenging workplace, with relatively high levels of
death and injury. Over the course of the last two decades,
significant progress has been made to reduce this toll.
Much of the effort over these years has focused on
improving physical safety. Meanwhile, mental health and
wellbeing has mostly been a secondary consideration.
Despite advances in awareness, mental health conditions
and suicide prevention are still taboo topics of conversation
in construction. There are many suicide high-risk factors
prevalent in this male dominated industry.
“Macho” culture creates barriers to seeking help and
acknowledging emotional problems.
Physically challenging work makes employees prone to
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HSE INTERNATIONAL
injuries and fatigue, which can cause chronic pain and lead
to physical strain, distress, and pain medication addiction.
There is also potential for post-traumatic stress from
psychological injury caused by witnessing traumatic life-
threatening events.
In addition, the cyclical nature of work, regular lay-off
periods, seasonal furloughs, and uncertainty of rehiring
add to the list of risk factors. Some employees frequently
travel from project to project across the UK, leading to
separation from their families and significant others.
Sleep disruption from working long hours for weeks at
a tim e, especially during critical project phases, is another
important risk factor.
And, since alcohol and substance abuse in construction
is relatively high compared to other occupational
industries, these should also be noted indicators.
Earlier this year, research organisation RAND surveyed
5,000 members of the construction workforce. Christian
Van Stolk, RAND Europe, said:
“It is well documented that the construction industry has
many characteristics that could affect the mental health of
its workforce. This year, through RAND Europe’s work with
Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace and working with
Mates in Mind, we have found that there is high variance in
the survey results between construction organisations. This
is especially noticeable in areas such as financial concerns,
work-related stress and unrealistic time pressures where in
some organisations there were much higher risks reported
compared to the average. This suggests that in designing