Mental Health First Aid

Within the construction industry mental health is becoming more apparent as an issue. The construction industry has one of the highest risks of suicide amongst its employees, an kills more men than falls from height. Across the UK in all industries, three out of five employees have experienced mental health issues in the past year because of work and this is leading to a national crisis in the NHS.

Research shows that one in six workers experience stress, depression or anxiety at any one time meaning that the workplace is a key area to manage and tackle mental ill health. Employers and employees must work together to resolve our mental health crisis. Now is the time to end the disconnect. The only way to effectively manage Mental health within the workplace is to talk, train and take action.

Mental Health Awareness training and Mental Health First Aid courses teach people how to spot the symptoms of mental health issues, offer initial help and guide a person towards support. Mental Health First Aid courses don’t teach people to be therapists, but do teach people to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis - and even potentially stop a crisis from happening.

To start the journey across all our business units, Bachy Soletanche, Westpile, Soil Engineering and Roger Bullivant committed to ensure all our employees undertake Mental Health Awareness training and also provide Mental Health First Aid training to selected staff.

Together we can make a difference.