黑洞社区

The tragic deaths of three workers on London construction sites in the last two months has thrown into sharp focus one of the biggest concerns that can blight recovery from recession: the potential for rising workloads, coupled with constrained resource, to lead to a rise in accidents.

Speaking after one of the deaths, that of 46-year-old Kevin Campbell, who was killed working on a Docklands Light Railway project, Peter Farrell, chair of the Construction Safety Campaign, called passionately for employers to refocus on heath and safety. He warned: 鈥淭here must be no return to the killing fields of old on London鈥檚 construction sites.鈥�

Alongside the visible dangers of physical injury and fatality, however, there are also hidden risks, in danger of going unnoticed, that can pose as serious a threat to those working in the sector as it recovers. One of the biggest, but probably the least discussed, is the prevalence of mental health problems in the workplace.

Construction has not historically had a culture of open discussion when it comes to awareness of mental health issues, their potential severity, or how to tackle them. With this week being National Mental Health Awareness Week, 黑洞社区 is making the issue the first focus of a new editorial initiative, 黑洞社区 A Better Balance. The aim is to put some of the hidden concerns that can affect construction鈥檚 workforces and recruitment - including mental health, diversity and tolerance - at the centre of the industry鈥檚 agenda as it looks both to grow and to become a more progressive place to work.

Construction and mental health

The HSE defines mental health as 鈥渉ow we think, feel and behave鈥�, with the term 鈥渃ommon mental health problems鈥� (CMHPs) used to describe the difficulties that are most prevalent and can be successfully treated by GPs rather than by specialists such as psychiatrists. One in four people in the UK experience a CMHP in their life, according to the HSE.

CMHPs include anxiety and some forms of depression. Anxiety is defined by the NHS as 鈥渁n unpleasant feeling when you feel worried, uneasy or distressed about something that may or may not be about to happen鈥�; while depression is defined as 鈥渨hen you have feelings of extreme sadness, despair or inadequacy that last for a long time鈥�.

Often, people arrive at work with a whole stack of things worrying them, like health issues or family

Paul Hodgkinson, Simons Group

A third problem often linked with these is work-related stress, which may trigger or worsen an existing mental health problem that a person may otherwise have successfully managed without letting it affect their work. The HSE defines work-related stress as 鈥渢he adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work鈥�.

Construction - with patterns of long working hours and deadline driven environments - is by its nature a sector that has the potential to cause stress and in turn to intensify, or even trigger, anxiety and depression. This, coupled with the industry鈥檚 demographic, makes these types of problems a particular concern. The industry remains a male-dominated sector; men, statistically, are less likely than women to discuss any health issues, and even less likely to discuss the often invisible effects of mental illness, which can compound the seriousness of problems.

Research carried out by the HSE in 2007, the last wide-ranging study of its kind on the industry, found that 88% of those working in the construction sector experienced some level of work-related stress, and 5% described themselves as suffering from an 鈥渋llness鈥� related to stress, depression or anxiety. A study by the Chartered Institute of 黑洞社区 (CIOB) in 2006 found an overwhelming majority - 85% - felt the industry did not do enough to address mental health in the workplace. More recent research from the US, published last year, found 16% of construction workers were distressed, with 3% showing clinical signs of suicide risk. But the vast majority of those who reported being distress had not sought professional help.

The severity of such conditions can vary hugely. At one end of the scale, too much stress can make employees less productive; and if it becomes more prevalent in their work it can put their own and others鈥� safety at risk.

At the most extreme end, unchecked CMHPs, including anxiety and depression, can lead people to suicide. One director of a construction company, who spoke to 黑洞社区 on condition of anonymity, has first-hand experience of this: 13 years ago, his own mental health issues, combined with a perceived lack of support, resulted in him attempting to take his own life. His story, told for the first time, is published opposite.

Roots of the problem

The inherent pressures of the working environment in construction may, in some people, be enough to trigger stress-related illness. However, it is more likely that they will add to other factors, such as family or relationship pressures, or bereavement, to leave people finding it difficult to cope.

Paul Hodgkinson, chief executive and chairman of contractor Simons Group and a trustee of the Mental Health Foundation, says: 鈥淚n business terms, people are constantly being challenged. And often, people arrive at work with a whole stack of things that are worrying them, like health issues or family.鈥�

In these situations, what makes working in construction particularly difficult for those struggling with mental health issues is the industry鈥檚 general reluctance to accept such problems and to openly discuss them. The director spoken to by 黑洞社区 says: 鈥淚f people hear about you having experienced [CMHPs], they might think you鈥檙e a slacker, or in some way deficient, or not up to the job 鈥� I don鈥檛 think we talk about this stuff enough, or a lot, or at all, in some cases.鈥�

Hodgkinson says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 something which has come up the agenda but there鈥檚 no doubt that the world of construction is still a robust industry and that leads people to be quite tough with other people. It is changing, but not as fast as other industries. And in general, I think the world splits into three on this: those who are very sensitive and talk without judging, those who can鈥檛 talk without judging, and those who are in the middle who can react in the right or the wrong way depending on circumstances.鈥�

Undoubtedly, as the market gets more competitive, more stress is being put on smaller teams. You can鈥檛 tell the impact of that just by looking

Paul Hodgkinson, Simons Group

The biggest contributory factors identified in the HSE鈥檚 research into work-related mental health problems in construction were having too much work to do in the time available, followed by the need to travel or commute.

Both of these are issues which are set to rise as the industry recovers from recession: the first because of the time it will take businesses to scale up to meet increasing demand, and the second because of the impact of a raft of regional office closures during the past five years, which means employees are having to travel further to win work and manage projects.

Hodgkinson says: 鈥淭here are issues with the pace things are happening. Undoubtedly, as the market gets more competitive, more stress is being put on smaller teams. You can鈥檛 tell the impact of that just by looking. The script on mental health is that you can鈥檛 see it - you really need to watch peoples鈥� behaviour.鈥�

Hidden costs

For construction companies, as for any employer, a greater understanding of CMHPs can be viewed as part of a moral duty of care to employees. It is also, as Hodgkinson points out, an issue which can aid a business鈥檚 efficiency.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e blind to the cost, as unless a person who is off work is signed off by their doctor it鈥檚 impossible to know whether mental health issues are having an impact on productivity. But if you look at it nationally, there鈥檚 often a significant exposure.鈥�

There is also a longer-term position at stake for an industry which has seen the number of its apprentices halve during the recession, and in which three-quarters of consultants predict a skills shortage in the next year, according to 黑洞社区鈥檚 recent salary survey. The director who spoke to 黑洞社区 says that in his experience, some people suffering from mental health issues in construction 鈥済o through hell. Some people leave, and they never want to work in the industry again鈥�.

For a sector that is looking to recruit the brightest talent, that image, and the reality that lies behind it, urgently needs to change.