The British Safety Council and Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) have launched the Mates in Mind programme in a bid to raise awareness about poor mental health in the construction industry.
The scheme was launched at the second CEO health summit of the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) in London at the end of last month.
Mates in Mind has been supported by mental health charities Mind, Samaritans and Mental Health First Aid England, and industry bodies BOHS, Build UK, CITB, HSE, IIRSM and IOSH.
The event focused on the fight to eradicate occupational lung diseases and BOHS Breathe Freely campaign and IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign, as well as exploring mental health issues in the construction sector.
Statistics from the Centre for Mental Health show that for every one working day lost due to injury, five days are lost due to ill-health, with nearly half of them relating to mental health issues, including anxiety and depression.
With one-sixth of the 2.1million construction workers in the UK likely to be suffering from a mental health issue at any one point in time, according to research by ONS, the Mate in Minds initiative aims to reduce associated stigma and raise awareness.
Speaking about the programme Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said: “In the construction sector, people are 10 times more likely to die by suicide than from on-site accidents. Considering these alarming statistics, I struggle to understand why there’s so little focus on reducing suicide, compared to reducing accidents.
“The vision of the British Safety Council is that no-one should be injured or made ill at work. However, like the construction sector, historically, we’ve shouted safety and whispered health. The Health in Construction Leadership Group is determined to readdress this balance, and I’m proud to be the CEO of an organisation that isn’t just saying we agree, but is at the forefront of actually doing something about it.”
The Mates in Mind programme, developed with Mind, MHFA England and Samaritans, comprises a three-tier approach and starts with a 45-minute general awareness training for operatives to begin the conversation about mental health.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said: “We are pleased to be a partner of Mates in Mind. It’s great to see mental health being made a priority and to contribute to an industry-wide approach that addresses unique challenges of employers who have large numbers of people working across different sites, in different ways. We are very happy to be part of the solution, bringing our expertise to a wide range of employers wishing to improve mental wellbeing of their workforce.”
Ruth Sutherland, Samaritans CEO, commented: “Samaritans welcomes the launch of Mates in Mind, an industry and charity partnership set up to train people to provide support in the workplace, raise awareness of mental health issues, break down stigma and encourage people to seek appropriate help. Samaritans is delighted to be a partner and looks forward to furthering these important aims.”
