The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has launched the ‘Save a Life‘ campaign to raise funds for its 24/7 industry helpline and its other work to support people working in the sector.
According to the charity, of the 1,500 calls received by its helpline last year, 1,100 wanted advice and support on issues including stress and depression.
All the case handlers on the helpline are trained in mental health first aid and can provide access to professional counsellors.
Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 454 suicides in the construction sector in 2016.
“We’re on a massive journey to change attitudes towards mental health and leading the way with the industry’s Building Mental Health programme,” said the charity’s Chief Executive, Bill Hill.
“By ensuring that every one of our 2.1 million construction workers know where to turn to in times of need, you and your business can make a real difference to people’s lives and help eradicate these horrific figures”.
“Change the life of a construction worker today by simply providing an annual donation of either £250, £500 or £1,000,” added Mr Hill.
“In return we will send you a pack of our helpline cards for you to distribute to your workforce and posters to display throughout your business and share your support on our social media channels.
“And if you pledge a £1,000 donation per annum we’ll say a great big thank you by including your logo on our website’s Company Supporter Page.”
The charity also supported 400 families last year with £735,000 of financial help.
Speaking at the Safety and Health Expo in June, Martin Coyd OBE, Head of Health and Safety – Construction at Mace, quoted another study, which claims one in four people each year have a mental health issue and added with 1.6 million people working on building sites every day in the UK and a further million people in supporting jobs, there could be between 600,000 and 700,000 people in the sector dealing with mental health issues.
“The statistics demonstrate we are the highest risk industry,” he told delegates.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
