Mental Health in the Construction Industry
Poor mental health and wellbeing within the construction industry has become a silent crisis. Indeed, men in construction sectors account for half of all male suicides in Ireland.
To mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (18th-24th May 2020) the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has published a new report titled 'Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment', which highlights the findings of a survey of over 2,000 CIOB members and construction workers from around the world. Key findings include:
- Stress was the most common mental health issue experienced by respondents.
- A quarter of construction workers have considered taking their own lives.
- Multiple physical factors contribute to stress within the working environment.
- There is a lack of mental health training / awareness in this sector.
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These findings highlight the state of mental health within the construction industry prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, and CIOB is concerned that the pandemic has further exacerbated the poor mental health of many within the industry.
A copy of the report is available at: www.mhfi.org/CIOB.pdf