THE Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is undertaking a survey into mental health within the construction industry.
CIOB say the survey is in response to recent figures from the Office of National Statistics, which found that men in the UK construction industry are almost four times more likely to take their lives than other men.
Professor Charles Egbu, president of the CIOB, said on the survey, “This is an incredibly important issue and one that aligns with the theme of my presidency. For over 20 years I’ve been looking into the area of mental health and wellbeing and there is much research out there which sets out the scale of the problem and shows that it is complex. My hope for the outcomes of the survey is that, although there’s no one solution that addresses these issues, we can gather data which will point to practical support and solutions that will work.”
The responses will be analysed to find what the primary pressures are on construction workers in each level (e.g. site worker, site manager, director etc.), as well as seeking to find any similarities in the information provided.
Depending on the outcome of the survey, CIOB say the information gathered is likely to be used to develop recommendations for both the construction sector and policymakers to help reduce the pressures identified, draw the above recommendations – if legislation is required – into a policy paper to discuss with parliamentarians, gather case studies which look further into the primary issues raised in the survey, and/or create a detailed report outlining findings and summarising any policy recommendations.
Anyone currently working within the construction industry is invited by CIOB to complete the survey, with all responses being anonymous – however, there is an option to leave an email address which will enter the participant into a £100 Amazon gift voucher draw.
Those wishing to take part in the survey can do so by clicking here.
