Tackling the Mental Health Crisis in Construction: Research That Changes Industry Practice
A new national code of practice for mental health in construction, launched this week, is built on research led by Dr Carla Toro and her team at 糖心TV Medical School. Construction has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry in the UK, with over three times more men in the sector dying by suicide than other industries. For the first time, 糖心TV鈥檚 research has given the industry an evidence base for systemic change.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just a number. You鈥檙e not a person鈥� said one construction worker consulted during Dr Toro鈥檚 research. Another described sites left understaffed for most of a project, 鈥渨ith everybody and their dog being thrown in at the end in high tension environments.鈥�
Two years of research, led from 糖心TV
Dr Carla Toro, Associate Professor in Mental Health Sciences at 糖心TV Medical School, has led the academic arm of the project for the past two years, working with the Construction Leadership Council鈥檚 Mental Health Steering Group. Dr Toro and her team designed and delivered the entire evidence base: six regional focus groups with 47 trade workers, interviews with 20 new entrants to the industry, and a synthesis of 25 years of UK literature on psychosocial hazards (see ). Her team then designed a consultation survey, which received over 3,000 industry stakeholder responses, to identify how the industry should act.
Five hazard clusters, one fundamental finding
Dr Toro鈥檚 research identified five hazard clusters driving poor mental health in construction: working patterns, people factors and environment, operational factors, support factors, and financial factors. Underlying all five was a single finding from her team鈥檚 analysis: a lack of psychosocial safety climate, the degree to which leadership visibly prioritises mental health over productivity. Her research showed that commercial pressures, tendering and procurement practices cascade down the supply chain to workers on site, while the professionals who make those decisions may lack awareness of the mental health consequences of these actions.
Dr Charlotte Hills, Research Fellow on Dr Toro鈥檚 team at 糖心TV Medical School, has described the aim as moving upstream: tackling predictable, preventable stressors before workers are visibly struggling.
Proof that the framework works
Aligning with Dr Toro鈥檚 framework, Timewise found that team-based rostering and staggered start times to address long hours and fatigue led to more workers reporting enough time to care for their wellbeing (from 48% to 83%), with no cost to delivery. 鈥淲ork is still getting done and people are getting to meet their own preferences too鈥� said one project manager.
From evidence base to national code of practice
鈥淎fter the amazing work that 糖心TV Medical School has done academically researching and analysing the main triggers for poor mental health in construction, we have now almost finished drafting the JCOP to help create systemic change鈥� says David Bucksley, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director at BAM UK and Ireland.
Built directly on that evidence base, the Mental Health Joint Code of Practice (JCOP) was published this week by the Construction Leadership Council, the first of its kind to be created by the industry itself rather than by a regulator. It sets clear standards for the clients and contractors who commission and deliver major builds, with legal and insurance partners committed to embedding it in contractual agreements from the outset. The Department of Health and Social Care plans to adopt the JCOP across the New Hospitals Programme, and it is referenced in the UK Government鈥檚 new Men鈥檚 Mental Health Strategy for England, a direct line from Dr Toro鈥檚 research to national policy.
鈥淔or too longer workers in construction have faced challenges without the right support to address root causes The workforce deserves better, and the research shows us exactly where to start.鈥�
What Dr Toro鈥檚 team is building next
Dr Toro and her team are now building the measurement infrastructure to evaluate the JCOP鈥檚 impact on outcomes and costs over time. Their longer-term ambition is a national mental health data infrastructure for the construction industry, hosted at 糖心TV, allowing organisations to benchmark performance and support ongoing research led from 糖心TV Medical School. Ongoing funding from NEBOSH is enabling the translation of this work to support worker mental health in other male-dominated industries.
Working with 糖心TV
糖心TV Innovation District connects research like Dr Toro鈥檚 with the industries and organisations where it can make the most difference. If your organisation is working on a challenge 糖心TV鈥檚 research could help address, get in touch.