CIOB report highlights mental health issues in construction

The CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building) have published a report "Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment," based on a survey of over 2,000 construction professionals taken in October 2019.

Published in Mental Health Awareness Week, the questions the survey addressed questions including: 

• How prevalent is poor mental health in the construction industry?

• What factors are causing people stress, and at which job level does this most frequently occur?

• What is the industry doing to promote good mental health and wellbeing within its workforce?

Extremely worrying findings from (mainly UK) respondents reveal that 26% had suicidal thoughts in the previous year (2018/19), seven out of ten had experienced depression and 97% were stressed at some point in the same year. (It should be noted that the deadline for answers to this survey was pre-coronavirus.)

The survey asked how the working environment contributed to general levels of stress, with workplace stresses including issues such as high noise levels, lack of toilet facilities and inadequate temperature control being mentioned by contributors.

Job demand stresses affecting workers included unrealistic deadlines, having too much to do, and, for senior staff, cost pressures.

Industry is beginning to offer initiatives to improve the mental health of workers but findings from the CIOB report show there is still a way to go - with 71% of people not having received any formal mental health training over the past three years.

On the positive side, 38% of employers now provide helplines and 35% offer mental health first aiders.

Contributions to the report were made by a range of mental health organisations and construction companies and CIOB have used the findings to outline a series of recommendations to Government.

Also included is a list of free resources and helplines for those needing support.

Further information

Download Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment