Don't keep it under your hard-hat: mental health in the construction sector

During Men’s Health Week 2024, workers in the high-pressure construction industry are being encouraged not to keep their mental health under their hard hats and to reach out for help

Some 81% of employers said employee mental health was a very sensitive issue and difficult to address, and 68% said they would find it much easier to manage an employee who is physically sick than one with a mental health difficulty.

IT seems hard hats can also be hard on the head. While employee support scaffolding has improved and attitudes appear to be shifting, the roof isn’t on yet. New data indicates that the unique pressures of the job may contribute to mental health struggles.

A report conducted by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) titled Mental Health in the Construction Sector found that 60% of companies reported considering the mental health of employees in the last 12 months. The data in the report was compiled on the eve of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and based mainly on a survey of 301 construction companies.